- Doctor who performed fatal Brazilian butt lift sued for misrepresenting his qualifications.
- Researchers highlight deaths of U.S. citizens undergoing cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic.
- AMA spotlights differences in training between physicians and naturopaths.
Doctor who performed fatal Brazilian butt lift sued for misrepresenting his qualifications. The family of Erica Russell, a 33-year-old mother of five from Tennessee, has sued Seduction Cosmetic Center Corp. and John Sampson, M.D., alleging:
- Russell traveled to Seduction’s facility in Coral Gables, Florida, in June 2021 to undergo a Brazilian butt lift, a cosmetic procedure in which liposuction is used to remove fat from the patient’s stomach, hips, lower back or thighs, and is then injected into the patientâs buttock area.
- During the procedure, Sampson punctured her liver, bladder and intestines with a cannula, a tube primarily used for removing fluid from the body.
- Russell went into cardiac arrest and died about two hours after the procedure began. Her cause of death was determined to be pulmonary fat emboli and bleeding due to liposuction and bilateral gluteal augmentation surgery.
- Sampson was not allowed to perform surgical procedures at the facility, but Seduction provided Russell with falsified paperwork stating he “had plastic and cosmetic privileges” at a local hospital when he did not.
- Seduction falsely marketed Sampson as âa surgeon performing surgery at its facility.”
- In May 2020, Seduction submitted an application to the Florida Health Department listing Sampson not as a surgeon but as its “designated physician” with responsibilities to ensure the facility was complying with all applicable health and safety standards and requirements.
- In June 2020, Sampson provided the Health Department with a letter specifying he “does not perform surgical procedures at Seduction’s facility” in Coral Gables.
- Sampson was not approved to perform surgical procedures at Seduction. Despite that, between April 2021 and June 2021, he performed plastic surgery at Seduction.
- On June 16, 2021, Sampson performed procedures on seven patients beginning at 6:32 a.m. He began operating on Russell at 8:31 p.m., following a nearly 14-hour shift.
[Burke M. Woman dies after Brazilian butt lift procedure performed by Miami doctor who wasn’t allowed to operate, lawsuit alleges. NBC News, March 7, 2024]
According to a disciplinary order filed September 9, 2022, by the State of Florida Board of Medicine, Sampson faced the following penalties: (a) pay a $20,000 fine; (b) reimburse costs of $5,626.65 for investigating and prosecuting the case; (c) complete five hours of continuing medical education in the area of medical records and a Board-approved laws and rules course; (d) present a lecture/seminar on complications related to gluteal fat grafting to medical staff at an approved medical facility; (e) be permanently restricted from performing gluteal fat grafting procedures; (e) be permanently restricted from serving as the Designated Physician of an office surgery center regulated by the Department of Health; and (f) submit a Quality Assurance review of his patientsâ records by a Certified Professional Healthcare Risk Manager, provide the Boardâs probation committee with the Quality Assurance report, and comply with all of the reportâs recommendations.
The Boardâs Amended Administrative Complaint against Sampson had alleged he: (a) committed medical malpractice; (b) inserted fat into the patientâs gluteal muscles, which is prohibited; (c) made deceptive, untrue, or fraudulent representations in or related to the practice of medicine; and (d) was the designated physician for an office that failed to operate in compliance with health and safety requirements.
Researchers highlight deaths of U.S. citizens undergoing cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic. Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Dominican Republic Ministry of Health have reported:
The number of deaths after cosmetic surgery among U.S. citizens in the Dominican Republic increased from a mean of 4.1 per year during 2009â2018 to a mean of 13.0 per year during 2019â2022 with a peak in of 17 in 2020. Â A review of the 29 deaths during 2019â2020 revealed that the deaths were associated with fat or venous thromboembolism. A high proportion of patients who died had risk factors for embolism, including obesity and having multiple procedures performed during the same operation.
Medical records were available for 24 women who died. Fourteen of these deaths occurred within 24 hours of the surgery. Liposuction was performed in all 24 fatal cases, gluteal fat transfer in 22, abdominoplasty in 14, and breast augmentation in 11. The researchers advise:
U.S. citizens considering cosmetic surgery abroad should consult with their primary health professionals about their inherent risk for adverse events after surgery and preventive measures they can take to reduce the risk. They should consult with a travel medicine specialist [4-6 weeks] before travel, and, as air travel and surgery independently increase the risk for blood clots, patients should allow adequate time between flying to and from a destination for surgery to reduce the risk for complications.
As a result of the investigation, the U.S. State Department updated the Medical Tourism and Elective Surgery advisory on the website of the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. The update advises how to reduce the risk for adverse outcomes and recommends obtaining international travel insurance to cover medical evacuation back to the United States. [Hudson M, and others. Deaths of U.S. citizens undergoing cosmetic surgery â Dominican Republic, 2009â2022. MMWR, Jan 25, 2024]
AMA spotlights differences in training between physicians and naturopaths. The American Medical Association has provided a brief for policymakers that contrasts the educational backgrounds of physicians (M.D. or D.O.) with naturopaths. [Smith TM. What’s the difference between physicians and naturopaths? AMA News Wire, Feb 26, 2024] It notes three categories of practitioners offering naturopathic treatment:
- naturopathic doctors who have an ND or NMD degree from one of the five accredited four-year programs in the U.S. and pass the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Exam, enabling them to be licensed in at least 24 states and the District of Columbia
- traditional naturopaths who receive some combination of mentorship, distance learning, and classroom learning on ânatural healthâ or âholistic studies,â and who, along with NDs and NMDs, can practice in states without naturopathic licensing except in the three states where the practice of naturopathy is prohibited: Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee
- various health professionals, including chiropractors, who include naturopathic methods in their practices
The AMA report further notes that ND or NMD programs are as long as M.D. or D.O. programs but include instruction in naturopathic therapeutics such as homeopathy and hydropathy alongside coursework in sciences, without specifying the number of hours required in each area. Postgraduate training is neither common nor required of naturopathic school graduates, except in Utah, where one year is required. In contrast, physicians complete four years of medical school followed by a minimum of three and as many as seven years of residency. Whereas naturopaths are required to get at least 1,200 hours of direct patient contact, physicians get 12,000â16,000 hours of clinical training. NDs/NMDs lack the training physicians get in key clinical scenarios with all age groups and with hospitalized patients. The AMA concludes:
It is the responsibility of policymakers to ensure that naturopathsâ claims that they can treat a broad range of conditions are backed by factsâfacts that include the specific education and training necessary to ensure patient safety.
Although AMA publications occasionally mention naturopathic efforts to gain licensure, they rarely discuss the poor quality of naturopathic education and practice.
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