In 2006, a Tulsa man says, a plastic surgeon convinced him to undergo a simple rhinoplasty, or cosmetic nose job. That surgery was badly botched, and another surgery was required. And then another.
Tragically, after a total of 22 surgeries the man is now left with no nose at all and has been forced to breathe through a straw in the middle of his face. He has now filed a surgical and hospital malpractice lawsuit against the surgeon, the Tulsa Surgical Arts, and the Oklahoma Cosmetic Surgery Center.
He is also suing the doctor for defamation after the doctor had him investigated, lodged false reports with the police and filed a fraudulent restraining order against the patient — all in an effort to intimidate him and deflect criticism over his obvious malpractice, the man says.
According to the lawsuit, after the first botched surgery in June 2006, the doctor performed seven corrective surgeries to address the problems. In Dec. 2007, the patient took a break of several years. It is unclear from press reports whether his nose was visibly misshapen or he was simply dissatisfied, but in Aug. 2011, the doctor performed 13 additional corrective surgeries on the man.
Still having problems, he contacted an expert in May of this year, who explained that the original doctor had been performing the surgeries incorrectly all along. His surgeon had attempted to reconstruct the man’s nasal tip using Medpor-brand implants made of metal. According to the expert, metal hardware should never be used in the nose due to the risk of contamination and skin erosion. The surgeon should have used sterile cartilage or bone implants, he said.
Unfortunately, the surgeon was using metal implants the entire time and, when they became infected, he replaced them with different metal implants. Additionally, the expert said according to the lawsuit, “a silicon dorsal nasal implant was placed on top of the titanium plate, a ridiculous surgical plan that had no possibility of success.”
After the multiple surgeries, which the hospital and clinic should have halted, the man “was left grossly deformed, with his nose amputated, and breathing from a straw in the middle of his face, where his nose once was. Plaintiff has now undergone and will suffer through many more future reconstructive surgeries for the purpose of nasal reconstruction, and has suffered indescribable, intolerable physical pain and suffering,” the lawsuit claims.
He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the gross surgical and hospital malpractice, and is suing the doctor personally for defamation, malicious prosecution, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud.
Source: Courthouse News Service, “Noseless Man Calls Doc Horrible and Abusive,” Cameron Langford, June 6, 2013
The legal team at Dempsey Kingsland Osteen works to ensure that the injured are fully compensated for their lasting injuries from medical malpractice or other negligence. We push for comprehensive damages that anticipate the long-term needs of our clients, rather than taking a quick settlement out of convenience.
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