A New Jersey woman died following a liposuction procedure to remove fat from her upper body, her widowย alleged in a new lawsuit.
NJ.com reported that the suit claimed that Stephanie Sanchez, 33, died after a surgery on February ย 25, 2016.ย Dr. Marco Pelosi II (pictured left) and his son,ย Dr. Marco Pelosi III (pictured right), said the mother died after being infected with necrotizing fasciitis, also known as the โflesh-eating bacteria.โย She was pronounced brain dead on March 6.
The father-sonย surgery team at Pelosi Medical Center in Bayonne supposedly performed liposuction and a tummy tuck in October 2015 with โapparently no complications,โ according to Dr. Leland Deane, a New-York based plastic surgeon who reviewed Sanchezโs medical records.
The affidavitย explained that the second surgery entailed a โbilateral liposuction of the upper extremitiesโ to remove fat from Sanchezโs arms. Days later, the mother supposedly complained of โsevere pain,โ Dr. Deane wrote.
After noting that Sanchezโs arm was tender and had fluid accumulation during a Februaryย 29 visit, the pair gave Sanchez an antibiotic and no further treatment for 48 hours.
While Dr. Deane claimed that Sanchez went to a hospital on March 3 and underwentย โincision and drainage,โ the mother went into septic shock and was moved to intensive care. She was placed on a ventilator and other medical devices to preserve her life.
The 33-year-old reportedly experienced cardiac arrest and multiple organ failures the same day. Though doctors were able to restart her heart, she was pronounced brain dead three days later.
Dr. Deane ultimately determined that the Pelosisย neglected to diagnoseย their late patientโs post-operative complications in โa timely fashion.โ Specifically, the surgeon stated that the Bayonne doctors should have referredย the woman to an internist or infectious disease specialist.