A Manhattan cosmetic surgeon whose patient died after a risky liposuction procedure turned himself in to police last week on charges of manslaughter, reports the New York Post. Dr. Oleg Davie performed the procedure on a patient who had received a heart transplant in 2004, making the liposuction an extremely dangerous operation. In addition, authorities claim that Davie forged forms to insinuate that the patient had not informed him of the prior heart transplant. The patient’s original medical history forms were found by a friend, and included the information regarding the transplant. Authorities allege that Davie removed this section of the history after the patient’s death.
In a statement, Charles Hynes, the Kings County District Attorney, noted that Isel Pineda, the deceased, had a scar on her chest from the heart transplant. Combined with the original medical history form, this would have provided Davie with both actual and constructive notice of the dangers of performing the operation. Despite these warning signs, he carried through with the liposuction, and Pineda succumbed to cardiac arrest shortly after the operation.
In its story, the Post reports that Davie had been fined in the past by the Department of Health for negligence, although it does not say exactly what type of negligence. In addition to the criminal charges, which carry a maximum of thirty-four years in prison, Davie may face civil charges for medical malpractice and wrongful death.
The full story of this unfortunate event can be found here in the New York Post.