A 32-year-old woman who visited a Miami surgeon for a Brazilian butt lift died after the doctor allegedly injected fat into her muscle, a potentially fatal surgical error.
The woman, identified only as WA, is the subject of a Florida Department of Health complaint filed against Dr. Ernesto Torres, a surgeon practicing at Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery.
The complaint claims The doctor injected fat into the patient’s gluteal muscle, a violation of Florida law, resulting in her death in May 2023.
A Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is an increasingly popular cosmetic procedure in which surgeons liposuction (remove) fat from the waist and back and inject it into the buttocks to create a bigger, fuller butt.
However, during or after injecting fat into the butt, small particles can enter the blood vessels and travel to the lungs. If these particles reach organs, they can obstruct blood flow, disrupt oxygen levels, and patients can develop respiratory failure leading to death.
The unnamed woman is the subject of a Florida Department of Health complaint filed against Dr. Ernesto Torres, a surgeon practicing at Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery.
While this is the first complaint filed against Dr. Torres, there is a pending complaint from 2022 that accuses Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery of several violations, including removing too much fat during a liposuction procedure.
WA was under the care of Dr. Torres for back and waist liposuction with fat grafting to the buttocks for a BBL, which typically costs between $8,000 and $10,000.
The Florida complaint alleges that during the procedure on May 26, 2023, Dr. Torres injected fat into the gluteal muscle and the patient’s heart began to beat rapidly and her blood pressure plummeted. Clinic staff called 911 and began performing CPR on the patient.
However, WA suffered cardiac arrest and died.
An autopsy on May 28 “identified the cause of death as bilateral pulmonary embolism from fat,” small round particles that block blood vessels. Bilateral indicates that the emboli were in both of the woman’s lungs.
The autopsy report said there was fat inside the buttock muscles and surrounding the sciatic nerves, the largest nerves in the body that run from the lower back through the buttocks and down each leg to the foot. .
This, the report continued, “ultimately resulted in a bilateral pulmonary fat embolism.”
Florida Administrative Code state When performing a BBL, fat can only be injected subcutaneously, just under the skin, and “should never cross the gluteal fascia,” a dense layer of tissue that surrounds and supports the butt muscles.
The law also states that intramuscular (directly into the muscle) or submuscular (under the muscle) fat injections “are prohibited” and the complaint claims that Dr. Torres “violated” this law “in his treatment of the WA patient.”
If fat particles are injected into the gluteal muscles, they can enter the bloodstream and travel to the lungs, where they form lung fat emboli.
This can cause decreased blood flow to parts of the lungs and disrupt the oxygen in the lungs, reducing the amount of oxygen circulating through the body.
The Florida complaint said the 32-year-old woman was undergoing a Brazilian butt lift at Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery.
While this is the first complaint filed against Dr. Torres, there is a pending complaint from 2022 that accuses Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery of several violations, including removing too much fat during a liposuction procedure.
With insufficient oxygen circulation, patients may have trouble breathing and eventually suffer respiratory distress if the lungs are so deprived of oxygen that they cannot provide life-sustaining levels to the body.
Lung fat embolisms can also cause heart failure, organ failure, and severe inflammation of the lungs.
It is vital to detect the condition early and treat it quickly, but it may not be recognized because the signs and symptoms can be subtle. They may include rash and bruising, headaches, confusion, and slow or rapid breathing.
Treatment consists of steroids, blood-thinning medications, supplemental oxygen, ventilation, or various procedures that can directly address emboli in the body.
The condition usually occurs after breaking a major bone and affects between 0.5 and 10 percent of cases, depending on the cause.
While the administrative complaint against Dr. Torres begins the disciplinary process, it could take years before a decision is made.
The complaint recommends several punishments, including the permanent revocation or suspension of Dr. Torres’ medical license, restriction of his practice, and imposition of a fine.
The rise of BBLs is believed to be due to social media, celebrities, and the “Kardashian effect.”
A record 28,600 women in the US underwent a cosmetic procedure to enhance their butts in 2022, figures show, a 54 per cent increase in five years.
While a fat embolism is the most concerning risk of a BBL, other complications include tissue death and fluid retention, where fluid accumulates in certain areas and requires further surgery to remove.
And officials are warning of deadly complications after a rise in the number of people traveling to other countries to have the procedure done at a fraction of the cost.
Earlier this year, the CDC said 93 Americans have died after undergoing BBL in the Dominican Republic since 2008.