A woman in Marietta, GA passed away during a liposuction surgery, where the surgeon allegedly anesthetized her with a rag soaked with propofol and stuffed it in her mouth. He also allegedly pierced her liver, according to the lawsuit documents filed in state court this month.
The father, Hal Jenkins, sued Nedra Dodds, MD, Opulence Aesthetic Medicine, on behalf of his daughter April Jenkins in Cobb County State Court. Jenkins died in February during this alleged medical malpractice event, and another woman died in June after a liposuction surgery at the same facility.
Opulence Aesthetic Medicine is a cosmetic surgery and medical spa based in Kennesaw GA, and it serves 45 states and 10 countries.
The suit alleges that Jenkins went to Opulence on Feb. 19 for Dodds to do her liposuction. Her vital signs were not properly assessed before the surgery, and no nurses were in the room before the operation. She also was not put on a cardiac monitor during the operation, the lawsuit document continues.
During the operation, the anesthetic propofol was administered to her by putting a rag in her mouth. This action was not recorded in Jenkins’ medical records. Also, during the surgery, it is alleged that Dodds pierced her liver with a trocar.
After the surgery, the document states that Jenkins had tensed legs, arched body and urinated, which indicated that she was having a seizure. She also aspirated on the fluid build up and then went into cardiac arrest.
Dodds did not call 911 right away, and did not make the call until 10 minutes after Jenkins went into cardiac arrest.
She was dead on arrival when she was brought to the Wellstar Kennestone Emergency Department, according to court documents.
The father is seeking damages for medical malpractice, wrongful death, pain and suffering, professional negligence and funeral expenses.
Modern medicine is often miraculous, but the dark underside of modern medicine is that there areapproximately 98,000 medical malpractice deaths in the US each year. Also, about 200,000 people die every year due to preventable medical mistakes. In our view, this loss of life is not acceptable, and the medical professionals who commit these mistakes should always be held accountable.
In Virginia and North Carolina, where our offices are located, we review a large numbers medical malpractice claims. However, Physician reprimand and oversight by a hospital or practice group is the exception rather than the rule
Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro is a personal injury law firm with both Virginia and North Carolina offices. Its team of personal injury attorneys provide frequent blog commentary about medical malpractice lawsuits.
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