Key Takeaways:
- Distracted Surgical Errors: Surgeons who prioritize personal phone calls over patient safety can execute reckless mistakes during delicate procedures.
- Dismissed Complication Warnings: Labeling skin discoloration and necrotic changes as “normal bruising” delays life-saving interventions for deep tissue infections.
- Severe Post-Operative Trauma: Cosmetic surgery negligence can quickly escalate into extensive tissue damage, massive scarring, and permanent disfigurement.
Case Study: Distracted Liposuction Procedure and Severe Sepsis
The horrific facts in this medical malpractice case are almost too bizarre to believe. Our 48-year-old client heard numerous advertisements on the radio for a liposuction clinic and decided to have liposuction. The client was given twilight sedation, so she was awake, alert, and conscious, but she did not feel pain. As the procedure began, our client could hear the physician speaking on his cell phone speakerphone and as the procedure continued, she could tell he was becoming agitated and angry as he spoke with his cell phone carrier about a small recurring charge on his bill. As the surgeon became angrier, he used more force on the liposuction cannula and paid less attention to the client’s anatomy to ensure the cannula was in the right place as he thrust it into her abdomen.
When the client returned home, the clinic and doctor did not follow up with her for three days and on the fourth day after surgery she reported dark, hardened skin in the area of her liposuction. The clinic told her it was just bruising and was normal. Six days after surgery, the client was experiencing symptoms of severe sepsis and went to the hospital where the doctors discovered her abdomen was not bruised–she had developed gangrene everywhere she had liposuction.
She underwent fourteen (14) procedures, she lost all of the skin and subcutaneous fat from the top of her abdomen to her bikini line, and she had to undergo massive skin grafting with skin taken from her thighs. She suffered terribly, was horribly disfigured, and incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Before we could file suit, the insurers for the clinic and plastic surgeon asked to settle the case and after some negotiations, the client received a settlement that would fairly compensate her for the horrors of her experience.
Our Orlando Legal Team Fights Cosmetic Surgery Negligence
Operating a dangerous tool like a surgical cannula while distracted by a customer service phone call represents a shocking failure of professional focus. When cosmetic clinics ignore post-operative warning flags and dismiss necrotic tissue as typical bruising, it crosses the line into devastating medical negligence.
If you or a member of your family has been permanently disfigured or hospitalized due to suspected plastic surgery malpractice in Central Florida, you have the right to seek financial recovery. Contact the dedicated trial attorneys at Warner & Warner today at 321-972-1889 or read our other surgical malpractice case studies to review your legal options during a free, confidential consultation.