Letty's Liposuction Directory

Liposuction Death is Rare... But Tragic.

Author: Letty's Staff Writer

Death from liposuction is indeed a rare occurrence, but when it does occur it always is accompanied by a sense of heartbreak.

This article is designed to give you a better description of when liposuction deaths tend to occur and under what circumstances.

Our goal is to equip you to be able to lower your chances of this kind tragedy and preserve your safety. So without hesitation, let's begin.

How often does liposuction mortality occur?

Actually there aren't any specific reporting requirements for lipo death as a category.

Patients that do die from liposuction will have causes of death the will be designated by the specific event. For instance, if a patient has a heart attack during her liposuction surgery – the cause of death will be "heart failure", or something related.

In the USA – systematically gathered statistics are hard to come by for liposuction deaths.

However, there are anecdotal accounts of liposuction deaths in the media. And we've all heard of surgery going very wrong. We've all listened to stories in the news of people losing their lives to some cosmetic surgery procedure or other.

So, although we can't talk specifically about how often lipo death is occurring – we do know that it does occur.

Here are some tragic stories of liposuction death:

In all of these cases preventable risks could have avoided.

Stories of Liposuction Death:

• Tammaria Cotton, Died at age 43 – The Los Angeles obstetrician who operated on her left her unattended in his office after surgery, during which time she had a fatal heart attack.

• Judy Fernandez, Died at age 47 – Died after spending 10 hours on the operating table receiving liposuction and other cosmetic procedures at the same time.

• Lisa Marie Marinelli, Died at age 23 – The New Jersey dermatologist was sued successfully by the family after their daughter had a fatal blood clot the day after her liposuction surgery.

• Amy Fledderman, Died at age 18 – The family won a $20.5 million dollar lawsuit against the Philadelphia doctor who failed to call paramedics after he severed a vein in Ms. Fledderman's neck during an in-office liposuction procedure.

Again, the vast majority of liposuction surgeries are very successful... BUT even with the best possible physician and the most ideal patient – you cannot reduce the risk associated with surgery to nothing. So, in order to make sure that your risk is as small as possible – you absolutely must go into liposuction having done all of the needed research.

What can be done to minimize the risk of death?

One of the most important things that you can do to minimize your risks during surgery is to make sure that you are in the most capable hands possible. You are literally putting yourself in the hands of a stranger.

The last thing you need when you are placing yourself at risk is a doctor who is inexperienced

Even a physician who has been a doctor for many years can lack the proper training and experience. Because liposuction is such a lucrative industry many doctors who do not have surgical training are getting into the business of performing them. Gynecologists, family practitioners, and more doctors are by state law able to perform surgery even though they may not have any surgical experience whatsoever.

And if having an untrained doctor perform surgery on you sounds scary... it's because it is scary.

Discover whether or not the doctor you are considering to perform your surgery has the appropriate surgical training. Ask him or her if they've actually completed a surgical residency. If they show any reluctance to make that information public – then it is time to choose another physician.

What is the take-home here?

Be sure to ask plenty of questions before any surgical procedure.

Educate yourself about the potential risks. And satisfy yourself that you have done everything in your power to make the best possible choice for not only your appearance, but for your health and safety as well.

About Liposuction Death References:

• "Jury Awards $20.5 Mil. For Fatal Liposuction." The Legal Intelligencer (2008). General One File. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.

• Cowley, Geoffrey, and Karen Springen. "Lowdown on Liposuction." Newsweek 133.21 (May 24, 1999): 60(1). Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale.

• Cohen, Gary, Douglas Pasternak, and Betsy Streisand. "When liposuction goes wrong, the result can be deadly." U.S. News & World Report 128.7 (Feb 21, 2000): 56. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale.