Doc Involved In Lipo Death Case Had Earlier Revoked Privileges
Family wants answers, critics warn to "ask the tough questions" before paying
The new device uses a high-powered stream of water to blast fat cells before suctioning them out
Lidvian Levaya died the Monday after the Christmas weekend after she went to a high-profile cosmetic surgery center for what her family thought was a simple liposuction procedure.
Now questions are being raised about how this could have happened and how you can find surgeons with good safety records.
Because, whatever went wrong – and the blame hasn’t yet been determined - the family of the victim does not want it to happen to anyone else.
"She was always happy,” said a tearful Osvaldo Vargas, “She was always a smile. She was always dancing. She was, she was beautiful.” Then he broke down in tears. “Sorry. Sorry.”
The grieving husband, in broken English, wishes people could be warned about clinics where a patient dies during routine liposuction.
Now, his lawyer wants to know whether his wife's doctor should've been doing any surgeries. Lawyer Spencer Aronfeld says state records indicate the doctor set to perform the procedure on Levaya had his privileges revoked from a nearby hospital. He’s demanding to know why Strax Rejuvenation Center allowed that doctor to continue to perform surgeries at its Lauderhill clinic.
It happened at some point before, during or after a fat transfer procedure. A private ambulance was called and Levaya was taken to a hospital with, Aronfeld says, a faint heart beat. She died a short time later.
A Strax lawyer refused to confirm whether Levaya was a patient nor would he address why she died.
Criticism is coming from Miami's high-end cosmetic surgeons, who have long expressed concern over the number of patients coming to them to correct unsatisfactory surgeries done elsewhere.
"And I tell everybody,” says Dr. Leonard Hochstein, “'you should be embarrassed NOT to ask your surgeon 'have you ever been sued? Have you ever been disciplined?' Because anybody asks me, I'm proud. And if the surgeon isn't happy to give you their information, maybe you should reconsider."
Chain clinics use commercials, critics say, to bring in new clients rather than rely on word of mouth from satisfied clients.
"I really hope something comes of this,” says Hochstein of clinics with a pattern of problems, echoing what some other surgeons also say privately. “I really hope that there's some kind of end to this kind of place where these things continually happen."
In the meantime, the family is awaiting autopsy results that may help determine blame.
Aronfeld bluntly says, “no one should die during a routine cosmetic procedure.”
Before committing to cosmetic surgery, patients should research a potential doctor's safety record.
