21-year-old Kannada actor dies after fat-removal surgery

Bengaluru: A 21-year-old Kannada small screen actor has died after she underwent a fat-removal surgery at a private hospital in Bengaluru.  

The News Minute reports that the actor was admitted to a private hospital for undergoing liposuction, which is a surgical fat removal procedure on Monday, May 16. However, she passed away the next day due to a cardiac arrest, which was allegedly caused by surgery related complications. 

The procedure took place at Dr Shettys Cosmetic Clinic located in Bengaluru's Rajajinagar. The hospital said that her lungs began to be filled with fluid late on Monday, and her health condition worsened after that. 

As per a media report in the Print, the doctors, after her condition worsened, rushed her to Kaade Hospital where, according to a statement given to police, efforts were made for 45 minutes to resuscitate her. 

Also Read:280 bariatric surgeries conducted at AIIMS-Delhi since January

Dr Sandeep V, an ICU intensivist at Kaade Hospital said in a report filed at the Basaveshwar Nagar police station, that the patient could not be revived as it appeared that she was brought dead. Dr Sandeep said that an anaesthesiologist from Dr Shetty's Cosmetic Centre, barged into the hospital with a patient (Chethana Raj) around 5.30 pm Monday. The report says that the anaesthesiologist disregarded "all the protocols of the hospital" while "threatening its security". 

The report added, "Our doctors were forced to toe the line of Dr Melvin and team with threats and though they were aware that the patient was brought dead, they were coerced into declaring only at 06:45 pm, for reasons best known to them. We strongly object to this kind of behaviour by these doctors and if necessary, we may decide to file a report against them. This report is being sent to you to bring to your notice this incident which does not appear normal."

The actor's parents, however, blamed the hospital and the doctors and alleged that their medical negligence caused their daughter's death. Her father, Govinda Raj said that his daughter was admitted to the hospital at 8.30 am on Monday. He said that the surgery had already begun by the time they got to know about it, adding, "By that evening, the lungs were filled with water or fat content and she faced breathing problems. There were no proper facilities in the ICU".

He alleged, "My daughter died due to the negligence of the hospital. The doctors have conducted surgery without parental consent and without proper equipment," further adding, "My daughter was hale and hearty. She was absolutely fine. She had gone to the hospital with her friends. I will initiate legal action against the hospital authorities."

The Bengaluru police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the hospital and its owner Dr Sahebgowda Shetty. The details of the cosmetic surgery that Raj underwent are currently unclear, reports the Print. 

Liposuction is a surgical procedure, which is used to remove fat from certain areas of the body, such as abdomen, hips, thighs. The surgery comes with various risks, which could result in complications including filling up of fluid under the skin, fat embolisms (pieces of fat in the blood that may travel to the brain), kidney and heart problems, and infections. It involves the use of a cannula to suck out fat from targeted portions of the body. The surgery usually has short-term benefits, with fat likely to return to the treated areas within a few months.

In the aftermath of the actor's death, the doctors said that Liposuction is often confused with bariatric surgery. Dr Naveen Kumar H R, Consultant-Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital said, "There are two types of liposuctions. One is less than five litres and the other one is more than five litres. The body responses to the two are different. However, for both, anaesthesia support is essential. Doing liposuction less than five litres is always safe." He added, "Ninety-nine per cent of patients recover well. If any untoward consequences like pulmonary or fat embolism are observed, then the patient requires ventilator support. Most patients recover."

Stating that patients may require ECMO support in addition to the ventilator, Dr Kumar said, "Liposuction is known to be the third most common cosmetic procedure done worldwide. It is mostly done among women between the ages of 35 and 45 years."

Whereas bariatric surgery is a medically prescribed procedure that is used as a procedure for weight loss, along with treating co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension and infertility, reports the Deccan Herald. 

According to a survey conducted in the US in 2000, the incidence of death among those who undergo liposuction was higher than fatality rates among victims of road accidents. 

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