Doctor will NOT be charged for the death of a liposuction patient whose screams were muffled with a towel during the fatal procedure that left her liver and diaphragm lacerated
Dr Nedra Dodds, and her assistant Kevin McCowan worked at the clinic Opulence Aesthetic Medicine in Kennesaw, Georgia
April Jenkins, 37, died in February 2013 after a fat-transfer procedure, during which she repeatedly screamed: 'It's tearing. It's burning'
Employees put a towel in her mouth to bite down on and told her to keep quiet
Jenkins' heart stopped and an investigation found Dodds was absent during parts of the procedure, although it was unclear for how long
Five months later, Erica Beaubrun turned up at the clinic for a buttocks reduction and she also died after her heart stopped pumping blood
Employees took 22 minutes to call 911, and EMT found Beaubrun in a pool of blood without a doctor in charge or anyone administering CPR
Dodds and McCowan were charged with murder, aggravated battery and theft
But DA said it would be difficult to build criminal case and charges were dropped
A cosmetic surgeon whose patient screamed in pain and had her liver and diaphragm lacerated during a fatal liposuction procedure will not face criminal charges.
Dr Nedra Dodds and her assistant Kevin McCowan at the clinic Opulence Aesthetic Medicine in Kennesaw, Georgia, were charged with the murders of two patients in 2013, along with aggravated battery and theft by deception.
While Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds said he was 'extremely troubled' but the incidents, the charges were dropped after the prosecutor said he did not believe a criminal case could be made, WSBTV reported.
Dr Nedra Dodds (left) and her assistant Kevin McCowan (right) at the clinic Opulence Aesthetic Medicine in Kennesaw, Georgia, were charged with the murders of two patients in 2013
But those charges were recently dropped after Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds said he did not believe a criminal case could be made (pictured, the clinic, which closed down)
April Jenkins, 37, (left) died in February 2013 after a fat-transfer procedure, while Erica Beaubrun (right) passed away in June 2013 after a buttocks reduction
April Jenkins, 37, died in February 2013 after a fat-transfer procedure, during which she repeatedly screamed: 'It's tearing. It's burning.'
Because she had already received the maximum dosage of sedatives, employees at the clinic gave her a towel to bite down on and told her to keep the noise down, the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
When the procedure was finished, Jenkins snored loudly before her heart stopped pumping blood.
An investigation found Jenkins' diaphragm and liver had been lacerated, and Dodds disappeared during parts of the procedure, although records did not show how long those stretches lasted and what happened while she was gone, The AJC reported..
About five months later, Miami businesswoman Erica Beaubrun turned up at the clinic for a buttocks reduction - and also died after her heart stopped pumping blood.
Employees took 22 minutes to call 911, and emergency responders found Beaubrun in a pool of blood, without a doctor in charge or anyone administering CPR, according to The AJC.
After authorities tried to revive her for 90 minutes, Beaubrun was dead.
Dodds' medical license was revoked in 2015, and the clinic shut down.
Dodds (left) disappeared during parts of Jenkins' procedure, although records did not show how long those stretches lasted and what happened while she was gone. Jenkins screamed during the procedure and employees stuffed a towel in her mouth (right, McCowan)
When Beaubrun's heart stopped pumping blood, employees took 22 minutes to call 911, and EMT found her in a pool of blood without a doctor in charge or anyone administering CPR
Dodds' medical license was revoked in 2015, and the clinic shut down
An administrative law judge reviewed the medical board's decision to first suspend and then revoke her license, and said: 'Dr. Dodds’ conduct grossly departed from the level of care every patient should expect from his or her physician and, in two cases, her failures resulted in the death of a patient under her care.'
But the charges against Dodds and her assistant were dropped after District Attorney Reynolds said he did not believe there was a criminal case against them.
He said: 'I'm extremely, extremely troubled by this case and always have been from the very beginning.
'My obligation is not to be concerned with what I want, what I like, what my opinion is. My decision has to be based on facts and law and in the end, I don't think the case can be made,' he said.
Jenkins' family will pursue a civil lawsuit against the doctor, according to WSBTV.
Honestly, it's one of the most painful things I've ever done to myself. I kind of felt like I was dying the whole time. So the doctor is probably used to that type of reaction which only leads to complacency. At one point my body lurched because of the pain and I almost fell off the table WITH whatever contraption is was still inside me. It was awful.
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Was it a bad day?
Or was it a bad five minutes that you milked all day?
Why bother with exercise, change of diet, perhaps some medications when you can just get liposuction? Never have understood why people go through this surgery. A friend of mine did and was right back up to the same balloon a year later. Need to change the life style, too.
Having said that, still the doctor should have noticed there was something unusual here and stopped or done something for this patient...
Why bother with exercise, change of diet, perhaps some medications when you can just get liposuction? Never have understood why people go through this surgery. A friend of mine did and was right back up to the same balloon a year later. Need to change the life style, too.
Having said that, still the doctor should have noticed there was something unusual here and stopped or done something for this patient...
Sometimes the fat is generic and is so hard to come off. I went on diet after diet, from Atkins to "eating clean", all kinds of things.
Liposuction really is for people who have genetic issues, not for people who have lack of self control, otherwise, as you said, those people will just put it all back on again.
-- Edited by Vette on Saturday 14th of January 2017 11:41:46 PM
__________________
Was it a bad day?
Or was it a bad five minutes that you milked all day?
OK. Things can happen. However, how could the doctor be ABSENT for parts of the procedure and not be there while they are doing CPR on their patient? What???? That has to be medical neglect. How can it NOT be??