Woman dies after undergoing six cosmetic procedures at once over eight hours
A 51-year-old woman in Brazil died after being subjected to several cosmetic procedures at once during an eight-hour surgery.
In a report by local media outlet g1 carried by PEOPLE, Andreia Vieira Gaspar flew to Goiânia, Brazil to undergo the surgery carried out by Dr. Lessandro Martins. She reportedly had six procedures done at once on her face and neck, which costed her 118,000 Brazilian Real (P1.4 million).
This includes a facelift, blepharoplasty, liposuction, and fat grafting to her face.
However, Andreia died on Aug. 12 after suffering complications from the surgery.
According to her sister Djiane, Andreia had not consulted with the doctor before going under the knife. Instead, she had the required pre-op tests done while still in her home country of Spain and sent the results to Lessandro's team before heading to Brazil.
After the procedure, Djiane recalled that Andreia's tongue became extremely swollen to the point that she could not close her mouth. Her condition continued to worsen six hours after the surgery.
Examinations later showed that Andreia was suffering from a bacterial infection prior to surgery. She eventually succumbed to the illness two hours after resuscitation attempts began.
Djiane alleged that while she alerted the medical team about her sister's condition, they did not receive proper care as the hospital did not have an ICU or an ambulance for emergencies.
“My sister is dying. For God’s sake. You answer the phone, but nobody shows up. For God’s sake,” she told the outlet.
In a post on Instagram, she stressed how she has the right to ask why her sister had died.
"Today I am facing the greatest pain of my life: the loss of my sister Andreia. And yes i have the right to question her death I have the right to ask why she died after what I lived and witnessed, to beg for medical attention," her translated statement read.
"I will not accept that my sister's death is simply treated as a fatality without all questions being answered. I wanna prove what I'm questioning. I want everything investigated. I want justice," she added.
The hospital subsequently issued a statement on the matter and said that they regretted the patient's death. However, they asserted that Andreia received immediate emergency care.
"The defense clarifies that the patient received immediate emergency care, with assistance from the medical and nursing team, and that the necessary measures were taken in light of the situation presented. It is important to highlight that the pre-operative assessment and examinations were performed externally, before the patient’s admission to Ankar Hospital for the surgical procedure," they said.
"Following the incident, the patient was promptly assisted by the professionals present, utilizing the necessary hospital resources and implementing the indicated emergency measures."
The legal team of Lessandro also spoke on the matter and underscored that the surgeon “deeply regrets” Gaspar’s death.
"Out of respect for medical confidentiality—which persists even after death, as mandated by the Medical Code of Ethics—no interviews will be granted, nor will comments be made regarding clinical data, examinations, or details of the care provided," they said.
"All clarifications will be provided, with full cooperation, to the competent authorities, the only appropriate forums for investigating the facts," they added.
The statement noted that Lessandro "trusts that the investigation will demonstrate the correctness of the care provided."