After Liposuction Surgeries in Maryland, 1 Patient Dies, 2 Fall Ill, Leaving Legal Questions

By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on September 27th, 2012

Serious infections after liposuction surgery have caused the death of one patient and sickened two others, forcing the closing of a Timonium, Md., medical facility while authorities work to determine how the death and illnesses could have occurred.

Officials at the Monarch Medspa surgery center “are cooperating as Maryland and Baltimore County health officials investigate the source of the infections, which involve the same bacteria that causes strep throat,” according to a story in The Baltimore Sun.  “But the bacteria can be significantly more dangerous when infecting other parts of the body, sometimes causing shock, organ failure and even death.”

All three patients became ill after undergoing liposuction procedures at the facility, according to the paper. The 59-year-old woman who died, whose identity was not released due to medical privacy laws, underwent liposuction surgery at the facility in the beginning of September, then returned to the surgery center the next day and complained of extensive bleeding, The Sun reported. She was sent home, then family members later called an ambulance after her condition worsened. After being taken to two different hospitals for treatment, she died after medical staff members were unable to stop the post-surgical infection that was coursing through her body, The Sun reported.

“In an order closing the center, state health officials said inspectors at the facility Tuesday observed ‘probable deviations from standard infection control practices,'” the paper reported. Proper sterilization of all instruments, dressings and every other item used on a patient before, during and after surgeries is critical to preventing such infections in the first place and those procedures are mandatory.

Now Maryland state health department officials are looking at whether they should increase oversight of cosmetic surgery centers, The Sun reported. “While doctors and nurses working in the centers must be board-certified, the centers themselves are not required to be licensed,” the paper said.

The three patients contracted infections of a bacteria known as group A staphylococcus, according to the story. Symptoms of post-surgical problems for patients can include fever, redness at a wound site, abrupt onset of pain, and swelling, dizziness, weakness and confusion, Maryland health officials told The Sun.

The surgery center has other locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware, and offers many types of cosmetic surgeries, including liposuction, face lifts, Botox and more, according to The Sun.

For the victims and their families, these tragic cases illustrate the importance of knowing the credentials and qualifications of surgeons, medical staff and the facilities in which they work before undergoing invasive and potentially dangerous medical procedures.

That means ensuring that any surgery center you or a loved one might use is fully certified, regulated and licensed so that it follows all accepted medical practices related to treatment, infections, post-operative care and the rest.

There can be no shortcuts in such cases, because the ongoing health of you and your loved ones is at stake. You must ask probing questions of health care workers and facilities to ensure that they will have your best interests at heart as you are given care, from start to finish.

Yet if all of that still fails and you or a loved one are seriously injured due to an errant medical procedure in a surgery center, cosmetic surgery office, hospital, clinic, doctor’s office or any other medical facility, you should get the best legal advice you can find to learn your legal options so you can recover damages for your injuries and suffering.

We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in a medical malpractice or related case anywhere in the United States. We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.

Call MyPhillyLawyer at 215-227-2727 or toll-free at 1-(866) 352-4572 anytime and our experienced, compassionate, aggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your family every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.

When Winning Matters Most, Call MyPhillyLawyer.