Influencer who died having liposuction was trying to fix childhood knee problem
A Brazilian reality TV star suffered four cardiac arrests during a liposuction treatment for a chronic knee condition which killed her.
The family of 29-year-old Luana Andrade have now revealed the tragic circumstances surrounding her death after she was operated on for the lipedema on her knee that she'd been diagnosed with as a teenager.
She and her boyfriend, João Hadad, had agreed that it was the best course of action to manage the discomfort she was suffering with. Now her mum Luciana Andrade and her lover have spoken with local media to explain how Luana had researched doctors for more than a year to address the buildup of fatty tissue in her legs.
Speaking to TV Globo magazine Fantástico her mum said: "You have no idea how cautious she was." After her research, she opted to go with Dr. Luiz Benneti at São Luiz Itaim Hospital in São Paulo last week.
Recalling the events of the day of the operation, the family said that Benneti began the treatment on her abdomen before moving to her legs. But it was as he moved to her lower limbs that she started experiencing complications.
Influencer who encouraged followers to battle obesity dies after gastric surgeryJoão, who was at the hospital, was becoming concerned because doctors usually update relatives about the patient's condition during the surgery. But at the halfway point, they'd not heard anything. He and Luana's aunt walked on to the surgery floor but realised something was wrong in an instant because of how the staff behaved. João explained: "I started to feel a slightly strange (vibe) from the people."
The two-and-a-half hour surgery had come to an end when she suffered a cardiac arrest. Doctors tried to revive her but had to place her in intensive care. Tests they performed later showed she had experienced a pulmonary embolism, a sudden blockage in the vessels carrying blood to the lungs. The private clinic said that blood clots in the lungs led to the four cardiac arrests that she suffered.
"The clinic of Dr. Luiz Henrique Benetti Favali, responsible for the aesthetic procedure carried out by Luana Andrade, regrets the death of the patient Luana Andrade. A person with a remarkable trajectory and whose story touched many hearts," the statement read.
"Luana recently came to him to perform the aesthetic procedure. The surgery was carried out in a reference hospital, with a qualified team. Unfortunately, as is public knowledge, Luana suffered four cardiac arrests, resulting from a massive pulmonary embolism, and did not survive despite all his efforts."
Luciana, her mother, told local media that the lifelong condition left her with such severe discomfort that she was unable to perform a number of jobs.