Case study

THE ROLE OF FORENSIC MEDICINE IN SURGICAL COMPLICATIONS: CASE REPORTS OF FAT EMBOLIA AND LIPOABDOMINOPLASTY

How to cite: Fittipaldi Jr HM, Gondim LR, Rocha LN. The role of forensic medicine in surgical complications: case reports of fat embolia and lipoabdominoplasty. Persp Med Legal Pericia Med 2022; 7: e221120

https://dx.doi.org/10.47005/221120

Submitted 09/27/2022
Accepted 11/30/2022

The authors inform no conflict of interest.

O PAPEL DA PERÍCIA MÉDICO-LEGAL EM COMPLICAÇÕES CIRÚRGICAS: RELATOS DE CASOS DE EMBOLIA GORDUROSA E LIPOABDOMINOPLASTIA

Horácio Mario Fittipaldi Junior (1)

http://lattes.cnpq.br/8170945484885740https://orcid.org/0000-0003-14438639

Lívia Ribeiro Gondim (2)

http://lattes.cnpq.br/3200723193021674https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3753-2636

Letícia Nunes Rocha (2)

http://lattes.cnpq.br/041121345104033https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1565-6104

(1) Professor de Medicina Legal e Deontologia Médica do Centro de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brasil.

(Autor principal)

(2) Residente de patologia do 3º ano no Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira, IMIP, PE, Brasil. (co-autor)

Email: fittipaldihoraciomario@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

In these days, lipoabdominoplasty is an increasingly common surgery, but it is not free from complications, some of them serious which can lead to deaths with unclear causes. In the case of a fatal outcome, the practice of necropsy is used to elucidate cases of deaths of undefined causes. Fat embolism secondary to intraoperative surgical procedures is found to be the main reason for some of these deaths, such as those described in this report. Forensic expertise is an essential investigative step in understanding the causality of possible malpractice of some surgeons in aesthetic procedures and the outcome of undetermined causes of death.

Keywords: autopsy, lipoabdominoplasty, fat embolism.


Bibliographical references

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