March 30, 2013
Woman Dies After Cosmetic Procedure, Family Wants Answers
A grieving Hollywood family is looking for answers, a week after a grandmother of six died after cosmetic surgery. “We just want to know what happened to my mother-in-law and to our mom because we weren’t expecting this,” said Kendra Williams. On March 22, 50-year-old Idell Frazer had liposuction on her back and fat transfer to her buttocks at Strax Rejuvenation in Lauderhill. According to a Lauderhill Police report Sunrise Fire Rescue responded to a call there and found Frazer “unconscious, pulse less and not breathing.” This is what Frazer’s daughter-in-law says she was told at Strax.
“They said that her pressure was really was dropped and that it was low and that they didn’t know why that we need to get to the hospital,” recalled Williams.
Frazer was transported to Florida Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Her family has hired attorney James Haliczer. “The investigation into what happened here and why this tragic death occurred is underway now,” said Haliczer. Peter Mineo is the attorney for Strax rejuvenation. “We have spoken to the medical examiner who has ruled preliminarily, because they have to do final microscopic examinations, that the patient died from an embolus and that this was an adipose tissue embolus, and it’s a known complication of the surgery” said Mineo.
Adipose tissue embolus is a piece of fat tissue that causes an obstruction. According to records from the Broward County Medical Examiner, two other patients have died from this. In December 2010, another Strax patient, Lidvian Zelaya died after a liposuction and fat transfer procedure. The primary cause was fat tissue in the lung. In June 2011, Maria Shortall died of fat tissue in the pulmonary artery. She had a liposuction fat transfer procedure at Alyne Rejuvenation in Weston.
In January, NBC 6 did a story about fat transfer to the buttocks with Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Constantino Mendieta, who has written a book on this procedure. He has performed 1,500 and says that fat embolism is a very rare and serious complication, which he has yet to experience with any of his patients. In the case of Idell Frazer, the Broward County medical examiner lists her primary cause of death as pending. Final results could take two weeks or longer.
