Florida Woman Dies During Liposuction

David Liu and editing by Denise Reynolds

A 35-year-old woman named Lidvian Zelaya died on Monday hours after a plastic surgery called liposuction got started at Strax Rejuvenation Center in Lauderhill, Florida, media reports say.

The plastic surgery was intended to liposuction fat from the woman's waist and then add it to her buttocks, the woman's husband Osvaldo Vargas was cited as saying.

Three hours later, the woman was rushed to emergency facilities at a nearby hospital and when the husband arrived there, he was told his wife was dead.

Spencer Aronfeld of Coral Gables, the lawyer who represented Vargas, said they did not know what happened to the victim nor which doctor performed the plastic surgery.

The Broward Medical Examiner was requested to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of the death. The ME office was reportedly waiting for information about the procedure Zelaya received and results from the toxicology tests.

Vargas was cited as saying on Thursday at a news conference that his wife was happy and healthy. She had received some cosmetic plastic surgery before at Strax and was happy with the results.  They were planning a vacation after the surgery.

Cosmetic surgery, like any other type of surgery, carries risk of severe injury and death.

According to Miamiherald.com, a 37-year-old Miramar woman named Rohie Kah-Orukotan was brain dead in Sept 2009 after a liposuction at a Weston Spa. Vera Lawrence of Carol City died in March 2001 after silicone was injected in her buttocks. Olga Myers died in 2002 after a face-lifting at the Cosmetic Surgery Centers in Hollywood.

According to dryoho.com, the death risk for general surgeries performed at hospitals was up to 1 death in every 500 operations.  Anesthesia can kill one in 13,000 patients. Liposuction can kill 1 in 5000 patients. Facelift and Tummy tuck can kill 1 in 1000 and 1 in 600 patients respectively.