A Florida plastic surgeon is suspected of inadvertently causing the death of his wife during the procedure. According to American media, the doctor pleads not guilty. Although he was initially detained, he was released from custody after paying bail.
Benjamin Brown, a plastic surgeon from Florida, was arrested on Monday on charges of involuntary manslaughter of his wife's death as a result of culpable negligence. On Tuesday, after paying a deposit of PLN 50,000. dollars (approx. PLN 200,000) was released from prison in Santa Rosa County. According to the local sheriff's office cited by ABC News, last November his wife Hillary suffered a cardiac arrest during a procedure performed by her husband at his plastic surgery clinic in Pensacola, Florida. The woman was taken to hospital and died a week later.
The New York Post, citing documents from the state Department of Health, reports that the woman was to undergo abdominal scar removal, arm liposuction and ear correction.
– Dr. Brown pleads not guilty, it will be fierce He fought the charges against him in court, attorney Barry Beroset told ABC News.
SEE ALSO: The husband killed his wife. The court decided to pay compensation to the family
Department of Health: the patient prepared the anesthesia herself
Last month, the Florida Department of Health filed a complaint with the state Medical Board seeking penalties against Brown that included revocation or suspension of his license. According to ABC News, the department indicated in the complaint that his wife allegedly prepared the anesthesia for herself, without the supervision of her husband or another doctor. She also allegedly swallowed several pills, which included a sedative, a painkiller and an antibiotic, but the intake of these drugs was not documented. “The minimum applicable professional standard of medical care requires physicians not to allow a patient to prepare drugs for use in his own surgery,” we read in the complaint, quoted by ABC News.
According to the Department of Health, the woman told her husband during the procedure that her vision was starting to blur and that her vision was “orange.” Moreover, at some point her feet began to twitch. According to a report quoted by ABC New, Brown responded by injecting more anesthetic into his wife's face, which caused her to lose consciousness and have convulsions. The medical assistant who accompanied Brown during the procedure allegedly asked him if he should call 911, but he responded “no.” Over the next 10-20 minutes, the assistant had to repeat the question several times about calling paramedics, but each time she heard “no” or “wait”. Only when the patient's breathing became shallow and her heart rate and blood oxygen level began to drop, the doctor allegedly told her to call the emergency number and began resuscitating his wife.
The Department of Health also issued an order last month limiting Brown's license to only perform procedures at a hospital under the supervision of another doctor. The procedure his wife underwent was described as “careless and accidental.” “Dr. Brown's level of disregard for patient safety procedures, even when the patient was his wife, demonstrates that he is unwilling or unable to provide an appropriate level of care to his future patients,” reads the order, quoted by ABC News.
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