CDC Reports 93 American Deaths from Cosmetic Surgeries in Dominican Republic

Fat embolism and pulmonary venous thromboembolism identified as leading causes; improved surgical protocols and postoperative care could mitigate risks, says CDC.

93 Americans died after receiving cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic between 2009 and 2022, according to the CDC.
Autopsy reports were available for 20 of the cases, and in all of them, the patients suffered complications either during or after surgery.
A fat embolism, a condition when particles of fat in the bloodstream block blood vessels, was the cause of death for 11 of the cases.
For seven other cases, the cause of death was a condition known as pulmonary venous thromboembolism, which is a sudden blockage in a lung artery.
The CDC said risk factors like obesity and multiple procedures being performed during the same operation could have been mitigated or prevented with improved surgical protocols and postoperative care.