An anesthesiologist testified that he acted properly as he monitored the vital signs of a woman who died after undergoing 10 1/2 hours of fat re-moval surgery.
Robert Hoo told a medical hearing Friday he kept track of how much saline was used during the multiple surgeries, but it was the surgeon's job to decide on the amount of painkiller injected.Hoo and physician W. Earle Matory Jr. are facing the loss of their medical licenses. They have been accused of gross malpractice and dishonesty in the death of Judy Fernandez on March 17.
Fernandez, 47, died after operations that included liposuction, "mini" face and brow lifts and two laser surgeries on her face and chest.
The Medical Board of California contends that too much fluid was put into Fernandez's body, diluting her blood so that it could not sustain the pressure necessary to stay in her arteries. She received 18 liters of saline intravenously and more than 13 liters of injected anesthetic fluid, or about eight gallons of fluid altogether.
Harry J. Bonnell, deputy medical examiner for San Diego County, testified that Fernandez died from fat clots that lodged in her blood vessels after surgery, cutting off oxygen to her vital organs. He said the death may have been related to her use of the now-unavailable diet drug "fen-phen."
His conclusion differed dramatically from that of the Orange County coroner's office, which ruled Fernandez bled to death.