Patient Safety | 03.21.24
Florida Plastic Surgeon Sued After Mom of 5 Allegedly Dies After BBL
by NAMSS Staff
People (03/12/24) Flam, Charna
Erica Russell, a 33-year-old mother of five, died after a Miami doctor who was allegedly not permitted to operate on patients performed her Brazilian butt lift (BBL) surgery at the end of a 14-hour day, according to a complaint filed by the Russell family’s lawyer. In June 2021, Russell underwent the procedure at Seduction Cosmetic Center's facility in Coral Gables, Fla. She was operated on by Dr. John Sampson, who now has five counts of negligence and liability against him. The court documents charge that, during the surgery, "Sampson failed to maintain appropriate control of his cannula and/or failed to maintain knowledge of the location of the cannula tip within Erica Russell's anatomy, resulting in repeated perforations of the abdominal wall and punctures of the liver, bladder, and/or intestines." The cause of Russell's death has been determined to be pulmonary fat emboli and hemoperitoneum because of liposuction and bilateral gluteal augmentation surgery. The documents further state that Sampson was "not approved to perform surgical procedures" as a "designated physician."
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