Young New York woman dies from cosmetic surgery complication in Dominican Republic

Getting cheap cosmetic surgery in a foreign country can be risky. Medical malpractice such as surgical errors and hospital negligence have a higher risk of happening in foreign hospitals because medical standards are lower than in the US. Recently, a young New York woman who decided to go to The Dominican Republic to get a cheaper tummy tuck and liposuction died from a massive pulmonary embolism on the operating table.

Beverly Brignony was 28 years old. She was married and had a 4 year old daughter. She had gastric bypass surgery a year earlier and since she had lost 80 pounds. she was very excited about getting a tummy tuck and liposuction her friends said.

Because her flight was delayed, she arrived at The Dominican Republic Hospital late at night before the surgery started early the next morning. She may not have received a proper medical evaluation before the surgery and the medical staff may not have taken into account the higher risk of embolism related to the fact that she sat on a plane for several hours before the surgery.

Many women who want to enhance their appearances but don’t want to pay the expensive price of a reputable surgeon in the US decide to go to The Dominican Republic to get their surgery for a much lower price than what they would pay in the US. Beverly Brignony paid $6300 for liposuction, tummy tuck and breast implants. She only had the tummy tuck and liposuction.

Not every plastic surgery goes wrong in The Dominican Republic but because regulations are more lax, the risk of surgical complications or infections is higher than in the US. Recently the Center for Disease Control published a warning about the risk of getting dangerous bacterial infections during cosmetic procedures in The Dominican Republic. According to CDC data, 19 women suffered serious personal injury after being contaminated by Mycobacterium abscessus infections and M. fortuitum infections. 14 of them had to be hospitalized and 5 of them were treated as out patients.