Dr. Cooper In the News

Letters: Plastic surgery patients must ask key questions

From The Stuart News, by Robert N. Cooper, M.D. Stuart

Editor:

I am writing in response to the recent article on the risks involved in undergoing plastic surgery, in which it was reported that 34 patients have died in Florida since 1986. It was also noted that 1,100 plastic surgery-related injuries have occurred in the state since 1980.

While such events are relatively rare, considering the large number of individuals who now seek such procedures, these numbers are alarming and demand the attention of lawmakers, physicians and consumers. Even a single death is one death too many, and the public has a right to information that will help it make the best possible choices when selecting a doctor and a facility in which to undergo plastic surgery.

As a plastic surgeon, I have lectured and written about the importance of rigorous safety standards on behalf of plastic surgery patients. Consider the following:

While some people know they should seek out a board-certified plastic surgeon, most are unaware that there are many boards that have nothing to do with certifying those who specialize in the study of plastic surgery. A doctor can be board-certified in any medical specialty and still perform "cosmetic" surgery. However, the only legitimate board certification for plastic surgeons, according to the American Medical Association, is that granted by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Any group of physicians can form a "board." But that doesn't mean it's recognized by the AMA.

Why does it matter? Thousands of doctors from other specialities are calling themselves "plastic" or "cosmetic" surgeons and are performing aesthetic procedures in outpatient settings. However, many of these doctors do not have the credentials to perform such surgeries in the hospitals they are affiliated with. If a post-operative complication arises and the patient requires hospitalization, their doctor cannot treat them in the hospital unless he or she is certified to perform that particular in the hospital. Instead, a plastic surgeon must be called in to handle the problem. This is seldom in the patient's best interest.

Results from a recent survey reported in Plastic Surgery News are startling. While 75 percent perform surgery in office surgical facilities, only 51 percent are practicing in accredited facilities. An accredited facility guarantees that safety is the No. 1 consideration. It tells you that your doctor practices in a building that meets safety standards equal, if not superior to, those of hospital settings. This means the building has met strict requirements for sophisticated back-up systems in the event of power failures, fire and other unexpected events that could compromise patient safety.

It also means that the anesthesiologist is a board-certified M.D. or certified registered nurse anesthetist and not the doctor doing the surgery or a scrub nurse assisting the doctor. An accredited facility also guarantees the patient that the doctor has hospital privileges to perform all procedures done in an outpatient clinic and that anesthesia is being provided by board-certified anesthetists. In cases where general anesthesia is given, it means that only a board-certified M.D. anesthesiologist is authorized to do the job.

Those seeking a qualified doctor to perform plastic surgery must ask the following questions:

1. Are you board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?

2. Are you authorized to handle any complications that might arise in the hospital you affiliate with for the procedure I'm considering?

3. Is your facility accredited for the level of anesthesia you provide?

4. Is your anesthesiologist a certified registered nurse anesthetist (for local anesthesia) or an M.D. board-certified anesthesiologist (if you will have general anesthesia)?

Cosmetic surgery has positively changed the lives of countless men and women, but each individual needs to do his or her homework and make informed choices. In the vast majority of cases, these procedures are performed safely and the outcomes are excellent. It takes only a moment or two to ask the important questions. Those few moments could make all the difference. Back to Top