Liposuction is a possible factor in the Singapore death of a top-ranking executive. The clinic in question has been barred from performing further lipo procedures.
The cosmetic clinic is a two-man practice, launched in late 2009, and the two doctors in residence have reportedly performed more than 600 Vaser liposuction procedures. But it’s currently unknown which doctor operated on Heng.
It is also unknown why Heng’s case was fatal. Police have classified the situation an “unnatural death.” According to an unnamed source, Heng had originally visited the clinic for liposuction on his waistline.
Death following liposuction is exceedingly rare, and in general, the risks associated with Vaser liposuction are minimal, although internal bleeding can occur if an organ is punctured. Other health risks include infection, an allergic reaction to surgical anesthesia, and excessive fluid loss. In more extreme cases, the patient can suffer from a fat or blood clot to the lungs after excessive surgical trauma.
Considering those factors, plastic surgery-related death may be rare, but it’s hardly unknown. Solange Magnano, a woman crowned Miss Argentina in 1994, died of a pulmonary embolism in late November 2009, following a buttock augmentation operation in Buenos Aires. During the procedure, liquid leaked from the buttock implants and created a fatal lung infection. The speculation after Magnano’s death was that her surgeon wasn’t sufficiently accredited.
Heng’s situation is apparently different, however. According to the Singapore Medical Council registry of doctors, both Reves Clinic surgeons are reportedly general practitioners with diplomas in dermatology.