Florida Teen Dies After Complications During Breast Surgery
Doctors Believe a Reaction to Anesthesia May Have Caused Death
By TANYA RIVERO and JONANN BRADY
March 25, 2008 -
Florida high school senior Stephanie Kuleba had everything going for her
--
she was the well-liked captain of her varsity cheerleading team at West
Boca
High School, and she had been accepted to the University of Florida, where
she hoped to study medicine.
The 18-year-old's promising life was cut short Saturday after she suffered
what doctors believe was a fatal reaction to anesthesia during breast
augmentation surgery.
Nearly two hours into the surgery, Kuleba was rushed to Delray Medical
Center, where she died 24 hours later, said the family's attorney Roberto
Stanziale.
Kuleba was undergoing surgery to correct asymmetrical breasts and an
inverted areola, Stanziale said.
Doctors believe the cause of death was malignant hyperthermia, a
relatively
rare metabolic condition that can be triggered by certain anesthesia. A
patient's heart rate and metabolism rises, causing the body temperature to
rise as high as 112 degrees.
Board-certified plastic surgeon Stephen Schuster performed the surgery at
an
outpatient facility in Boca Raton.
"I am devastated by the loss and I feel for the family," he said in a
statement.
The Gift of Plastic Surgery
According to just released data from the American Society of Plastic
Surgeons, nearly 348,000 breast augmentation procedures were performed in
2007, a 64 percent increase from 2000.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery re****ted that between
2002 and 2003, the number of women and girls younger than 18 who got
breast
implants nearly tripled, from 3,872 to 11,326.
Doctors also say they are seeing more parents giving their teens the gift
of
new breasts or other cosmetic surgery for milestones like birthdays or
graduations.
"I've seen an increase in teens having plastic surgery, and certainly for
graduation," said Dr. Stephen T. Greenberg, a New York plastic surgeon and
the author of "A Little Nip, A Little Tuck."
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons strongly believes that no one
younger than 18 should undergo plastic surgery.
Cosmetic breast implants for patients younger than 18 are not approved by
the Food and Drug Administration, except in cases of reconstructive or
corrective surgery, such as asymmetry.
Friends at West Boca Raton High School expressed shock and sadness during
a
candlelight vigil for Kuleba on Sunday evening.
"She was a role model for a lot of people," classmate Vicky Goldring, 16,
told the Palm Beach Post. "She was incredibly smart. She wanted to help
people. She was just a happy 18-year-old girl."
As her grief-stricken family members wait for a definitive answer about
Kuleba's death, they cannot ignore the cruel irony that their daughter
aspired to become a plastic surgeon.
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