Cork mother died of flesh-eating infection following cosmetic surgery

A 57-year-old woman developed a lethal flesh eating infection and died ten days after undergoing a cosmetic liposuction procedure in the United States.

Mary Ryan, who was originally from Youghal, Co Cork, but living in Leesburg, Florida, had liposuction of her abdomen, neck and jowls at Mesos Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Center, Florida on 19 December 2012.

She travelled to Ireland with her husband James on 24 December to spend Christmas with their son Ian.

Ian Ryan told Cork Coroner's Court that when his mother arrived at his home on 26 December she went straight to bed as she was in a lot of pain.

"She was lying down and was in a serious bit of pain. She showed me her stomach. It was inflated. It looked battered and bruised. We called SouthDoc. They advised us to go straight to the hospital," he said.

Mrs Ryan was already extremely unwell when she arrived at the Accident and Emergency Department of Cork University Hospital at 10.30pm on 26 December complaining of abdominal pain.

She was subsequently diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis, a rare but recognized progressive soft tissue infection.

She underwent two debridement procedures in hospital to remove skin from her abdomen, in order to treat the infection.

Her condition continued to deteriorate and she died on 29 December.

A post-mortem by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster found that her death was due to shock and sepsis due to necrotising fasciitis following a recent liposuction procedure.

Dr Bolster told the court necrotitising fasciitis was a very serious disease with a very high mortality rate, even if it is picked up very early.

The pathologist said that liposuction was a frequently performed cosmetic operation, but that there can be complications which are possibly fatal.

She told the court that Mrs Ryan was "incredibly unfortunate".

The inquest heard that Mrs Ryan had an underlying heart problem and had underwent a triple bypass surgery just months before the liposuction procedure, but the pathologist said that she died of infection and that her underlying heart problems probably just meant that she died faster.

The inquest heard that Mrs Ryan was assessed by her surgeon Dr Todd P Ginestra the day after the procedure when she complained of pain, but her wounds were clean and dry and he asked if she had picked up her narcotic medication.

She did not attend for her next appointment on 22 December and when her surgeon spoke to her on the phone she said she did not want to come in because she was feeling nauseated and tired and he explained she would feel better if she took the prescribed medication.

When she spoke to her doctor on 23 December she said she was feeling much better and that she did not want to come to see him the following day as she had a lot to do preparing to return to Ireland.

The court heard that there was a breakdown in communications between the clinic and her pharmacy and that she did not get her medication after the operation.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane recorded a verdict of death by medical misadventure and expressed her condolences to her husband, who was not in court and to her son, who was accompanied by his aunt.

"It's a sudden and very tragic sequence of events. Liposuction is not an entirely innocuous procedure and is not without its potential difficulties.

It's a well recognized side effect, but it is rare so she is extremely unfortunate in the circumstances," said the coroner.

This article is courtesy of RTE News Ireland.