BajaNews
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TJ physician detained in liposuction death
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/01/tijuana-physi...
By Sandra Dibble
July 1, 2011
TIJUANA — A Tijuana physician faces manslaughter charges in Baja California in connection with the May 2010 death of a Chula Vista woman following a
liposuction procedure at his clinic in the city’s Río Zone.
State ministerial agents detained Dr. Louis May Villanueva at Millenium Cosmetic & Laser Institute on Thursday after a state judge issued a
warrant for his arrest.
According to a statement Friday from the Baja California Attorney General’s Office, María de Lourdes Trinidad Mendívil was still in the operating room
when she died minutes after the procedure to remove pockets of fat in her abdomen.
The statement did not elaborate on what may have gone wrong during the operation. It said that investigators had determined that medical negligence
was involved in the woman’s death, and “it was found that the surgeon did not have the documents accrediting him as a plastic surgeon.”
May has a medical license, but is not a plastic surgeon.
Family members of Trinidad could not be contacted. Until her death, she had worked as a pharmacy technician and manager in San Diego. She had been a
patient of Dr. May for six years.
Following his arrest, May was taken to La Mesa State Penitenciary. It was unclear whether he would be allowed to post bail pending trial.
In an interview last year, May said that Trinidad told him she was feeling fine after the procedure. He said that ten minutes after he left the
operating room, “I got word that she had a heart attack,” blaming her death on a blood clot that likely formed during or after the surgery.
State health authorities initially closed the clinic but it was allowed to reopen. A state official said recently that Dr. May was prohibited from
performing liposuction and other procedures, but could assist in operations.
Dr. Jesús Cornejo Rincón, head of Tijuana’s Medical College, said that the laws in Mexico can be unduly harsh, treating malpractice cases as criminal
matters rather than civil ones. “They detain you and then they investigate,” he said. “We want investigations,” he said, “but we don’t want doctors to
be accused lightly.”
The state of Baja California recently has been publicizing its nine-year-old Medical Arbitration Commission as a place where patients complaints about
medical treatment can be impartially evaluated. In cases of fatalities, the commission cannot take action, and family members’s only recourse is
filing a complaint with the Baja California Attorney General’s Office.
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Jim/Liisa
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I had a co worker who's son died on the table during Liposucsion. the autopsy indicated that the son had taken some pills containig herbs, that were
not reported to the anesthesiolegist prior to surgery.
This question is always asked " have you taken any form of vitamins or herbs and what medications have you taken?"
Normaly you are not suppose to take any vitamins or herbs for several days prior to surgery as this reacts with the anesthetic. Not sure if this is
the case but who knows?
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Woooosh
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Jim/Liisa
I had a co worker who's son died on the table during Liposucsion. the autopsy indicated that the son had taken some pills containig herbs, that were
not reported to the anesthesiolegist prior to surgery.
This question is always asked " have you taken any form of vitamins or herbs and what medications have you taken?"
Normaly you are not suppose to take any vitamins or herbs for several days prior to surgery as this reacts with the anesthetic. Not sure if this is
the case but who knows? |
TJ is banking on increasing the volume of medical tourism. My family has had cosmetic procedures done in TJ with no problems and good results. You
have to do your own homework on Doctors and it's too bad the herbal supplements that apparently caused the fatal reaction weren't screened for.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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Leo
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Lipo suction is quite invasive, unlike dental work which makes sense to do in Mex. Even with doing your homework on selecting a specialist you might
end up in the wrong hands. That can still happen anywhere.
The grass is always greener....
and so, there is always a better spot in Baja
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BajaGringo
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One problem down here is that there are some doctors who perform plastic surgery and they simply do not have the credentials. The bottom line is that
if you want to save some money you do have to check them out first as Woooosh suggests.
Another problem is that a high percentage of those going in for such surgeries are seriously overweight, which in itself makes them a higher risk for
any kind of surgery I suppose.
My condolences to Maria's family...
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monoloco
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The death rate for liposuction surgery in the US is 19 per 100,000 people, it's the most dangerous form of cosmetic surgery. Most deaths are due to
blood clots.
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