Liposuction patient dies in Broward; husband seeks autopsy
BY FRED TASKER AND LAURA FIGUROA
Lidvian Zelaya's New Year's resolution for 2011 was to ``look good,'' so she went to Strax Rejuvenation Center in Lauderhill on Monday to have fat liposuctioned from her waist and added to her buttocks, her husband, Osvaldo Vargas, said.
Three hours later, Vargas said, his wife was rushed to emergency facilities at a nearby medical center. When he arrived there, he was told she had died. She was 35.
``She was beautiful, always happy, always dancing. I want to know what happened,'' he said Thursday at a news conference.
Vargas and his attorney, Spencer Aronfeld of Coral Gables, said they were not sure what doctor performed the procedure nor whether the procedure had started when the medical problems began.
``We're not accusing, we're seeking information,'' Aronfeld said. ``We've asked the Broward medical examiner for an autopsy, and we're awaiting its outcome.''
At the Broward ME's office, investigator Jesse Hoffman said Zelaya's cause of death has not been finalized. The office is awaiting more information about the surgery and results from toxicology tests, he said.
Phillip Feanny, attorney for Strax, said federal privacy laws prevent him from discussing the situation or even confirming that Zelaya had been a patient at Strax.
``I'm waiting for the medical examiner's report,'' he said.
Aronfeld said Zelaya died at the North Shore Medical Center's Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale after she was rushed there from Strax. He gave reporters a copy of a ``death summary'' on letterhead from the center.
Aronfeld also produced a document outlining a ``quote for services'' for what he said was the procedure Zelaya had decided to undergo at Strax: $4,500 for ``liposuction with fat transfer.''
Vargas said his wife had been totally satisfied with a previous cosmetic procedure at Strax, and that they had saved up money for the new procedure. He said they were planning a vacation after the surgery. She worked as a local customer service representative for a watch manufacturer, Aronfeld said.
Vargas said Zelaya appeared to be in perfect health and didn't take drugs. He said he was unsure what prior screening she had had before the procedure. He urged the public to get undergo a screening from an independent doctor before such procedures.
In image-conscious South Florida, stories of botched surgeries and fatal procedures are not uncommon.
In September 2009, a 37-year-old Miramar woman was declared brain dead after a liposuction gone awry at a Weston spa. Rohie Kah-Orukotan, a mother of three, had gone to the Weston MedSpa, housed in a strip mall, when she suffered multiple seizures on the operating tables.
Vera Lawrence, of Carol City, died in March 2001 after too much silicone was injected in her buttocks during a ``pumping party'' at a Miramar home. The hosts of the party were not licensed physicians, and eventually were charged with Lawrence's death.
In 2002 Olga Myers, a 42-year old real estate agent, died while undergoing a face lift at the Cosmetic Surgery Center in Hollywood. State regulators found that there was no licensed anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist present during the surgery.
Read more: Liposuction patient dies in Broward; husband seeks autopsy - Broward Breaking News - MiamiHerald.com
BY FRED TASKER AND LAURA FIGUROA
Lidvian Zelaya's New Year's resolution for 2011 was to ``look good,'' so she went to Strax Rejuvenation Center in Lauderhill on Monday to have fat liposuctioned from her waist and added to her buttocks, her husband, Osvaldo Vargas, said.
Three hours later, Vargas said, his wife was rushed to emergency facilities at a nearby medical center. When he arrived there, he was told she had died. She was 35.
``She was beautiful, always happy, always dancing. I want to know what happened,'' he said Thursday at a news conference.
Vargas and his attorney, Spencer Aronfeld of Coral Gables, said they were not sure what doctor performed the procedure nor whether the procedure had started when the medical problems began.
``We're not accusing, we're seeking information,'' Aronfeld said. ``We've asked the Broward medical examiner for an autopsy, and we're awaiting its outcome.''
At the Broward ME's office, investigator Jesse Hoffman said Zelaya's cause of death has not been finalized. The office is awaiting more information about the surgery and results from toxicology tests, he said.
Phillip Feanny, attorney for Strax, said federal privacy laws prevent him from discussing the situation or even confirming that Zelaya had been a patient at Strax.
``I'm waiting for the medical examiner's report,'' he said.
Aronfeld said Zelaya died at the North Shore Medical Center's Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale after she was rushed there from Strax. He gave reporters a copy of a ``death summary'' on letterhead from the center.
Aronfeld also produced a document outlining a ``quote for services'' for what he said was the procedure Zelaya had decided to undergo at Strax: $4,500 for ``liposuction with fat transfer.''
Vargas said his wife had been totally satisfied with a previous cosmetic procedure at Strax, and that they had saved up money for the new procedure. He said they were planning a vacation after the surgery. She worked as a local customer service representative for a watch manufacturer, Aronfeld said.
Vargas said Zelaya appeared to be in perfect health and didn't take drugs. He said he was unsure what prior screening she had had before the procedure. He urged the public to get undergo a screening from an independent doctor before such procedures.
In image-conscious South Florida, stories of botched surgeries and fatal procedures are not uncommon.
In September 2009, a 37-year-old Miramar woman was declared brain dead after a liposuction gone awry at a Weston spa. Rohie Kah-Orukotan, a mother of three, had gone to the Weston MedSpa, housed in a strip mall, when she suffered multiple seizures on the operating tables.
Vera Lawrence, of Carol City, died in March 2001 after too much silicone was injected in her buttocks during a ``pumping party'' at a Miramar home. The hosts of the party were not licensed physicians, and eventually were charged with Lawrence's death.
In 2002 Olga Myers, a 42-year old real estate agent, died while undergoing a face lift at the Cosmetic Surgery Center in Hollywood. State regulators found that there was no licensed anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist present during the surgery.
Read more: Liposuction patient dies in Broward; husband seeks autopsy - Broward Breaking News - MiamiHerald.com
