A plastic surgeon has been found guilty of professional misconduct over a series of patients, including a woman who claimed she thought she would die after surgery.
Dr. Mahyar Amjadi was found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The Healthcare Complaints Commission had filed a case involving 14 patients alleging misconduct by the surgeon between February 2017 and December 2019.
Dr. Amjadi first registered as a doctor in 2007 and worked at Wollongong Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, Westmead Private Hospital and Sydney Private Hospital.
In 2016, he also founded Luxe Clinic in Edgecliff, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Dr. Amjadi was found to have failed to fulfill his duty in several areas, such as failing to obtain informed consent from three patients before surgery, and failing to perform physical examinations on two patients before admitting them for surgery.
He also “improperly performed surgery on a patient who was four months postpartum, contrary to clinically accepted practice.”
On another occasion, Dr. Amjadi was found to have caused damage to a patient’s pancreas, liver and spleen with a liposuction cannula while operating on her.
Dr. Mahyar Amjadi was found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
He was also found to have improperly removed excess skin from a patient’s right arm during another operation.
The tribunal also found that the plastic surgeon had failed to prepare adequate medical records for six patients.
Dr. Amjadi said that while he was “guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct in relation to some aspects of my patient care,” he denied being guilty of professional misconduct.
“I deny that it is not safe for me to practice as a specialist plastic surgeon at this time,” he told the tribunal.
It turned out that the plastic surgeon had inserted bilateral deltoid implants in a patient even though he did not have the required skills to do so.
He also appeared to have performed a bilateral breast lift procedure on a patient, but listed the surgery as a bilateral breast reduction.
The surgeon operated on the patient when she was approximately four months postpartum, “which is contrary to clinically accepted practice regarding surgical adjustments to the breast postpartum.”
While performing a tummy tuck on a patient in August 2019, the cannula used by Dr. Amjadi hit and damaged her pancreas, liver and spleen.
Another patient sued the surgeon and settled out of court, claiming “gross disfigurement” and psychological trauma from a tummy tuck she had in March 2019, the ABC reported (pictured shows her wounds after the operation) .
The patient said that when she woke up after surgery, she was “screaming in pain” and “floating in and out of consciousness.”
She was taken by ambulance to another hospital and underwent further surgery.
She later developed an infection and underwent more surgeries.
The tribunal heard that the patient felt so ill that she thought she was going to die and called her lawyer to make a new will.
‘She was released from hospital on September 14, 2019. Although the respondent (Dr Amjadi) asked her to make a future appointment to see her, she did not do so,” the tribunal said.
“She didn’t want to do business with him anymore.”
The tribunal heard claims from the patient that she can now no longer work as a nurse because her memory has been affected by her operations.
Another patient sued the surgeon and settled out of court, claiming “gross disfigurement” and psychological trauma as a result of a tummy tuck she had in March 2019, the ABC reported.
That patient was not part of the HCCC’s case.
Dr. Amjadi admitted that his patient records were “poor” and that his pre-operative consultations were “too short.”
Dr. Amjadi said that while he was “guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct in relation to some aspects of my patient care,” he denied being guilty of professional misconduct
“Many of these patients should have had measurements taken and recorded, both pre- and post-operative photographs taken by me in consultation, and a physical examination carried out,” he told the tribunal.
The plastic surgeon said he founded Luxe Clinic to provide affordable treatments to people seeking elective procedures.
“I am deeply ashamed of my failures as it was never my intention to cause harm or distress to this patient group,” he said.
‘My motivation was always to help.’
Another tribunal hearing will take place next month to determine what restrictions will be placed on Dr Amjadi’s medical registration.
Conditions were imposed on his registration by the NSW Medical Council in October 2019.
The surgeon was prohibited from performing body contouring surgery, including surgeries involving abdominoplasty, arm lifts, buttock lifts, liposuction, lipectomy and thigh lifts.
He is also not allowed to act as a surgical assistant during these procedures.
Dr. Amjadi declined to comment.