Surgeries have complications.
Even in the best hands, by the best doctor, you are at risk for complications. One of the biggest risks with a breast augmentation is bleeding.
The following is a link a friend sent me. She is a breast implant rep in Tennessee, and she sent this out in frustration – she must sell breast implants to any MD, even if they are not a trained plastic surgeon.
This is the story of an eye surgeon in Atlanta who is doing breast augmentations. Many surgeons are going out of their specialty, what they were trained to do in their residency programs, into cosmetic surgery to try to “make a buck.” I speak of this problem a lot- people calling themselves plastic surgeons when they do not have the training.
Please read the article and watch the video link. What bothers me about this is not that there was a bleed. What bothers me is
- He called 911 because he could not stop the bleeding. One of the biggest issues with nonsurgeons and cosmetic surgery is they are not trained surgeons. When they have a complication they frequently cannot handle the complication or do not recognize there is a complication. These nonsurgeons operate in an office operating room or small surgicenter. They can’t do surgery in a major hospital, as the main hospitals will not approve them to do surgery out of their training/specialty.
- He actively sought out cosmetic patients, advertising in the local papers, “BREAST AUGMENTATION FOR $$,” with his surgery $1500 cheaper than board certified plastic surgeons. It is unclear if the patients understood he is boarded in opthamology, ie he is an EYE doctor, not boarded in plastic surgery.
The article is no longer published on examiner.com:
http://www.examiner.com/plastic-surgery-in-atlanta/woman-almost-bleeds-to-death-during-breast-augmentation-by-an-eye-doctor
Please be careful. A bleed will happen even to the best trained, most seasoned of surgeons. Most bleeds happen after surgery. You shouldn’t leave the OR unless your surgery is dry. Your surgeon should be a surgeon. A trained surgeon should not have to call 911 in the middle of a surgery. This eye doctor (and his patient) were lucky.