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Litigations in Plastic Surgery

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Medico-Legal Issues in Infectious Diseases

Part of the book series: Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century ((EIDC))

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Abstract

A previously healthy, 43-year-old female underwent cosmetic surgery at a private, freestanding center consisting of a tummy tuck and liposuction of the abdomen, hips and thighs. Soon after surgery, the patient complained of shortness of breath, but no specific abnormalities could be found. At the post-operative visit 2 days later, the wounds were found to be in satisfactory condition. Four days after the operation, the patient attended the ER of a university teaching hospital with worsening shortness of breath. She was admitted to hospital and treated for pulmonary emboli, but this diagnosis was never confirmed. On admission, the intern diagnosed an abdominal wound infection, but this was not confirmed by the senior medical resident or the attending medical staff. An abdominal wound swab taken was reported as growing normal skin flora. The wound drain was removed 3 days after admission and the patient was discharged home a week after hospital admission.

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  1. St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, Room 4179 CC 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 1W8

    I. W. Fong

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Fong, I.W. (2011). Litigations in Plastic Surgery. In: Medico-Legal Issues in Infectious Diseases. Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8053-3_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8053-3_12

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-8053-3

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