Liposuction Surgery That Went Wrong Kills 37-Year-Old Female

Cleveland, OH (Law Firm Newswire) October 15, 2013 – This liposuction operation was horrific. The patient’s liver was pierced and a rag soaked with anesthetic stuffed in her mouth.

Mellino Robenalt LLC has Cleveland Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Attorneys

“This reported case raised a number of concerns about cosmetic surgeries and the extent of training of the physicians operating such full service ‘medical spas’ in the country,” stated Christopher Mellino, a Cleveland anesthesia malpractice lawyer with Mellino Robenalt, LLC.

The details of the case, as reported, included a reference to the 37-year-old patient having a propofol-saturated rag stuffed in her mouth and her liver being pierced. The woman’s father filed a wrongful death, medical malpractice lawsuit against the spa/clinic located in Kennesaw, Georgia. The parent company, CLJ Healthcare LLC, indicated it served patients worldwide.

“The statement of claim alleged the woman was not medically assessed prior to her surgery; that there were no nurses present during the operation; the patient was not on a cardiac monitor and an anesthetic soaked rag was placed in the patient’s mouth. The use of the anesthetic and its administration were not charted. Furthermore, the patient’s liver was pierced with a trocar,” Mellino explained.

The patient’s chart did not indicate when the operation began, or when it ended, nor did it record the fact that the woman went into seizure after the operation. She aspirated built up fluids and went into respiratory arrest. The doctor did not call 911 immediately, but waited for ten minutes before making the call, stating they worked on the woman first. The woman was DOA at the hospital.

“A woman goes to what she considers to be a fully accredited medical spa and trusts that the surgeon will perform the liposuction procedure with due care and attention. Instead, she never wakes up and her family must sue for pain and suffering, medical negligence and funeral and burial expenses,” said Mellino.

Evidently, this woman was the second to sustain life-threatening injuries at the same clinic. The second woman, in the midst of a buttock reduction operation, went into full cardiac arrest and was in arrest for 22 minutes before rescue personnel were called. Although EMTs were able to start her heart again, she was considered brain dead by the time she was transported to the E.R.

”If you have been in a situation like this, or feel you have been the victim of an anesthesia error, contact my office for help. We have extensive experience in this area and can advise you of your rights and how to proceed with a lawsuit if you so choose,” added Mellino.