Questions Remain After Patient Dies At Miami-Dade Plastic Surgery Clinic
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – At Jolie Plastic Surgery center on Southwest 8th Street in West Miami-Dade a patient died Thursday from complications during a cosmetic procedure, a butt augmentation.
Kizzy London came from Louisiana, as many patients do from out of town, apparently looking for a low-cost fix. A CBS4 News crew was turned away at the clinic on Friday.
"You guys leave, please. I don't have anything to say. I need you to leave," said a woman who did not give her name.
Fire rescue says London died after going into respiratory and cardiac arrest during her surgery. The clinic, like many others, is located in a sprawling strip mall with businesses including an animal clinic.
Dr. Arnoldo Valls performed the surgery Thursday. He performs plastic surgery procedures at other storefront clinics, in addition to Jolie Plastic Surgery Center.
The husband of the woman who died Thursday was picking up her personal effects at the clinic Friday.
"I don't know what happened. I can't comment. I don't know what happened. There's nothing I can say right now. I'm trying to figure out what's going on. I'm going to let the detectives deal with it," said Dwayne Graves, London's husband.
A review of the clinic posted online a month ago warned "2 young girls who were perfectly healthy died coming to the center for [Brazilian Butt Lift]."
CBS4 News was unable to verify that claim, nor were state health officials without the name of the doctor or doctors allegedly involved.
Those expert in the field say be sure your plastic surgeon has hospital credentials.
"Hospitals do a lot of homework on us, on doctors. So by piggybacking on the homework hospitals have already done, that could make the patient even safer," said Dr. Pat Pazmino of the Miami Society of Plastic Surgeons.
The Jolie Plastic Surgery Center issued a statement Friday saying Dr. Valls, whose surgery on London went fatally wrong, "is a caring and skilled surgeon with over 40 years of medical experience and is universally recognized and admired" by patients and the medical community.
The center said all surgeries come with potentially serious complications, and that was the case with London.
Dr. Valls, according to state health department records, has been practicing since 1969, has no history of complaints or discipline, and has privileges at Larkin Community Hospital in South Miami.
London's death is being investigated by Miami-Dade Homicide detectives, which is routine.
The Florida Department of Health is also expected to investigate.
