HIALEAH, Fla. (AP) — The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office says fat clots clogged the arteries of a 29-year-old West Virginia woman who died following cosmetic surgery at a Hialeah clinic.
The medical examiner’s director of operations Darren Caparara says the fat clots caused Heather Meadows’ organs to fail May 12, 2016 after undergoing a procedure known as a Brazilian butt-lift at Encore Plastic Surgery. The mother of two was rushed to an emergency room, where she died.
The Miami Herald reports the medical examiner’s report listed complications from lipid transfer as a secondary cause of death, indicating that the fat particles that killed Meadows likely entered her bloodstream through a vein during a fat transfer procedure. During a fat transfer, doctors perform liposuction of the torso, then inject the fat into the buttocks area.
