A Miami woman, 32, dies from a Brazilian butt lift after a surgeon allegedly injected fat into the buttock muscle

A 32-year-old who visited a Miami surgeon for a Brazilian butt lift died after the doctor allegedly injected fat into her muscles, a potentially fatal surgical error.

The woman – identified only as WA – is the subject of a Florida Department of Health complaint filed against Dr. Ernesto Torres, a surgeon practicing at Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery.

The complaint claims the doctor injected fat into the patient’s buttock muscle — a violation of Florida law — leading to her death in May 2023.

A Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is an increasingly popular cosmetic procedure in which surgeons liposuction (remove) fat from the waist and backside and inject it into the buttocks to create a larger and fuller butt.

However, during or after the fat is injected into the buttocks, small particles can enter the blood vessels and travel to the lungs. If these particles reach the organs, they can restrict blood flow, reduce oxygen levels, and patients can develop breathing problems that lead to death.

While this is the first complaint filed against Dr. Torres, there is an ongoing 2022 complaint accusing Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery of several violations, including removing too much fat during a liposuction procedure.

WA was under the care of Dr. Torres for liposuction of the back and waist with fat grafting to the buttocks for a BBL – which typically costs between $8,000 and $10,000.

The Florida complaint alleges that Dr. Torres injected fat into the gluteal muscle during the procedure on May 26, 2023, causing the patient’s heart to beat rapidly and her blood pressure to plummet. Clinic staff called 911 and began CPR on the patient.

However, WA went into cardiac arrest and died.

An autopsy on May 28 “identified the cause of death as bilateral pulmonary fat emboli,” small round particles that block blood vessels. Bilateral indicates that the emboli were in both lungs of the woman.

The autopsy report said there was fat in the gluteal muscles and around the sciatic nerves – the largest nerves in the body that run from the lower back through the buttocks and down each leg to the foot.

This, the report continued, “ultimately resulted in bilateral pulmonary fat emboli.”

Florida Administrative Code states when performing a BBL, fat should only be injected subcutaneously – just under the skin – and ‘should never pass through the gluteal fascia’, a dense layer of tissue that surrounds and supports the muscles of the buttocks.

The law also states that intramuscular fat injections (directly into the muscle) or submuscular fat injections (under the muscle) “are prohibited” and the complaint states that Dr. Torres “violated” this law “in his treatment of patient WA.”

When fat particles are injected into the glutes, they can enter the bloodstream and travel to the lungs, where they form pulmonary fat emboli.

This can lead to reduced blood flow to parts of the lungs and reduce oxygen in the lungs, reducing the amount of oxygen circulating in the body.

The Florida complaint stated that the 32-year-old woman underwent a Brazilian butt lift at Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery

While this is the first complaint filed against Dr. Torres, there is a pending complaint from 2022 accusing Miami Lakes Plastic Surgery of several violations, including removing too much fat during a liposuction procedure.

Without enough oxygen circulating, patients may have difficulty breathing and eventually experience respiratory distress as the lungs become so depleted of oxygen that they can no longer provide life support to the body.

Pulmonary fat embolisms can also cause heart failure, organ failure and severe inflammation in the lungs.

It is vital that the condition is caught early and treated promptly, but it may go unrecognized as the signs and symptoms can be subtle. These may include rash and bruising, headache, confusion and slow or rapid breathing.

Treatment consists of steroids, blood-thinning medications, supplemental oxygen, ventilation, or various procedures that can directly address the embolism in the body.

The condition usually occurs after a fracture of a major bone and affects between 0.5 and 10 percent of cases depending on the cause.

While the administrative complaint against Dr. Torres initiates the disciplinary process, it could take years before a decision is made.

The complaint recommends several penalties, including the permanent revocation or suspension of Dr. Torres’ medical license, restricting his practice and imposing a fine.

It is believed that the rise in BBLs is caused by social media, celebrities and the ‘Kardashian effect’.

A record number of 28,600 women in the US will undergo cosmetic surgery to improve their backside in 2022, the figures show, an increase of 54 percent in five years.

Although a fat embolism is the most concerning risk of a BBL, other complications include tissue death and fluid retention, where fluid builds up in certain places and requires further surgery to be removed.

And officials are warning of deadly complications after an increase in the number of people traveling to other countries to have the procedure done at a fraction of the cost.

Earlier this year, the CDC said 93 Americans have died after having BBLs performed in the Dominican Republic since 2008.