Twenty-one-year-old Kannada television actress Chetana Raj died mysteriously after undergoing a surgery for fat reduction at a private hospital in Bengaluru. The actress got herself admitted to the hospital on May 16 and underwent liposuction. The same evening, water began to accumulate in her lungs. All this has happened without her parent’s knowledge, and apparently, some of her friends had accompanied her to the hospital.
Chetana’s parents, who spoke to Public TV, have blamed the doctors for negligence.
What might have caused Chetana’s death?
But, what is fat reduction surgery or liposuction? Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery used to remove excess fat deposited between the muscles and the skin. This is mainly done on people who are obese and who cannot reduce fat through diet and exercise.
Dr Anand, Surgeon at St Philomena’s Hospital, explains, “There are some common complications during a liposuction treatment. One is a fat embolism, and the other is pulmonary thrombolism.”
Fat embolism is when blood supply is disrupted due to fat globules in a blood vessel, causing shortness of breath. On the other hand, pulmonary thromboembolism is when a clot develops in the pulmonary vein of the lungs.
Statistically, only 1.3 per cent of 50,000 people die from complications post liposuction surgery. So Chetana, in Dr Anand’s eyes, is a very rare case.
Dr Anand says, “the younger age group should go on a strict 3-6 months diet of 1200 calories per day and exercise regularly to reduce excessive fat. People should consider a surgery only by consulting a surgeon who does liposuction surgeries regularly.”
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