Florida doctor's license restricted after unauthorized plastic surgeries, including fatal Brazilian butt lift

• A Florida surgeon had his license restricted following a patient's death after unauthorized plastic surgery.
• The doctor used techniques that were known to be risky and prohibited, according to the emergency order.

A Florida doctor has had his license restricted after performing unauthorized surgeries, including a Brazilian butt lift that turned fatal, the Miami Herald reported.

Dr. John Sampson of Coral Gables, Florida was subject to an emergency restriction order, October 14, from the state department of health for "failure to operate in a manner that is correct and safe."

Sampson, who operated out of Seduction Cosmetic Center, had no previous disciplinary action associated with his medical license since it was issued in 2014, and records show he is licensed in Michigan, Maryland, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the Herald reported.

Sampson performed unauthorized surgeries between April and June, according to the emergency order, including a cosmetic surgery of liposuction and gluteal fat grafting better known as a "Brazilian butt lift" or BBL. The procedure involves removing fat from other areas of the patient's body such as the midsection and injecting it into the buttocks to create a more rounded, lifted appearance.

On June 16, Sampson reportedly performed the procedure on a 33-year-old woman, according to the emergency order. During the fat removal portion of the operation, Sampson allegedly lacerated the patient's abdominal wall, liver, bladder, and intestines, according to the emergency order.

Then, during the fat injection, Sampson allegedly used a technique of injecting fat into the deep muscle of the glutes, which is known to cause an increased risk of mortality for patients and prohibited by the Florida Board of Medicine, according to the emergency order.

The patient had a cardiac event and was later pronounced dead from pulmonary embolisms, or blood clots blocking the arteries of the lungs. The medical examiner found fat particles mixed with blood clots in the patient's arteries, airways, and heart, according to the emergency order.

BBLS can be deadly when fat injection blocks blood flow

Demand for BBLs is on the rise, and consumers have been increasingly warned to be wary of unqualified surgeons as BBLs have the highest mortality rate of any cosmetic surgery.

The procedure is risky because it involves injecting fat near a vital artery - if injected fat makes its way into an artery by mistake, the resulting blood flow blockage can be deadly.

Two out of every 6,000 BBLs have fatal side effects, according to a 2017 report.