In Tampa, Florida this week a surgeon is set to lose his license for a year after using non-licensed assistants to perform liposuction surgery. Dr. Yves N. Jean-Baptiste, who was board-certified, did not keep proper records, had very little training in liposuction surgery, and had not registered his office as a surgical facility. Fortunately in this case, his patients suffered no lasting harm. However, all of this begs the question: How can I know which surgeon is the right one for me? Fortunately, there is a great checklist for choosing a surgeon; we’ll highlight some of the most important items from that list below.
• Is the surgeon board certified in a surgical specialty? – Dr. Jean-Baptiste was board-certified, but that was in family medicine. If your doctor is board-certified in cosmetic surgery, you can be sure that he or she has had the proper amount of training in the relevant field. Be sure to ask your potential surgeon this question.
• Does the surgeon have a certificate demonstrating that the surgeon has received specific training in the use of local anesthesia for liposuction? – This question is important because one of the most common complications of any cosmetic surgery is improper use of anesthesia. Dr. Jean-Baptiste was not even keeping records of the anesthesia he was using on patients, something that a properly trained doctor would surely have done.
• Will the liposuction be done in an accredited surgical facility? – Properly trained and licensed surgeons will also make sure that their place of business is properly accredited. Accreditation boards will look at the facilities, the training of the staff and the training of the doctor before putting their stamp on and office. Any doctor, such as Dr. Jean-Baptiste, who does not have this accreditation, should be viewed suspiciously.
This is just a small sample of the important questions you should ask when you choose the right surgeon for your liposuction. Any one of these would have spared the Tampa patients of Dr. Jean-Baptiste.
Originally Published Aug 9, 2010