Florida stops surgeon from performing Brazilian butt lifts after woman's death
Athina Morris - Yesterday 7:40 PM
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) - A Florida doctor can no longer perform Brazilian butt lifts after he reportedly used an illegal fat grafting technique on a patient, causing complications that resulted in her death, the Miami Herald reported.
According to the report, the state ordered an emergency restriction on the license of board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Oliver Simmons on Friday.
The order said a 47-year-old woman traveled from Indiana to Florida wanting to get a breast reduction and liposuction on her arms. She had a consultation with another doctor, but was turned away due to her high body mass index and history of hypertension.
According to the order, the next day, the woman had a consultation with Simmons at New Life Plastic Surgery in West Miami-Dade. He agreed to perform a "Brazilian butt lift" or BBL.
According to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, a BBL is a specialized fat transfer procedure that changes the size and shape of the buttocks without implants. With liposuction, surgeons remove fat from the hips, lower back, thighs in abdomen, then inject it into specific points on the buttocks. They shouldn’t insert fat into or under the muscles. The Florida Board of Medicine prohibited the action in 2019 following several Brazilian butt-lift deaths.
"In the course of the gluteal fat transfer procedure portion of the BBL, Dr. Simmons inserted the cannula into and through Patient T.W.'s gluteal fascia one or more times, depositing fat into her gluteal muscles," the order said.
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The woman was brought out of anesthesia, then left the facility to go to a recovery home.
"When Patient T.W. got into the transport vehicle, she told C.B. that she was feeling dizzy. Patient T.W. got into the back of the van and tried lying down and then sitting on her knees. Patient T.W. started to feel dizzy again. C.B. pulled over on the highway and found Patient T.W. unconscious in the van."
She died at an area hospital.
According to the medical examiner, the woman had suffered a pulmonary embolism. There were "multiple fatty particles within and beneath” her glute muscles and within her lungs, they said.
"Dr. Simmons' decision to perform a surgery with known risks of increased mortality using an inherently dangerous and illegal fat grafting technique indicates that Dr. Simmons is not capable of performing surgeries in a manner that is correct and safe," the order stated.
The surgeon’s license was restricted so he can no longer perform gluteal fat-grafting procedures.
According to his profile on the health department’s website, Simmons had no previous disciplinary action associated with his license since it was issued in 2018.
Records show his South Carolina license was “in good standing,” until he let it expire last year, the Herald’s report said.
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