Surgeon sued over allegedly botched breast operation

A BEAUTICIAN has sued a consultant plastic surgeon over an allegedly bungled breast augmentation procedure.

Louise McCormack (32) claims she suffered an open wound which expanded after breast augmentation surgery and that further surgery to address that problem left her with asymmetrical breasts.

Additional surgery to correct the asymmetry was carried out and led to her suffering chest pain and being treated in a hospital’s A&E, she claims.

She has sued Marco Loiacono, a registered medical practitioner and consultant plastic surgeon, with an address care of the Hospital Group, with registered offices at Dolan Park Hospital, Stoney Lane, Bromsgrove, England.

She alleges negligence by Dr Loiacono in allegedly failing to warn her adequately or at all of the risks of the procedure, failing to exercise proper care for her safety, carrying out surgery without sufficient expertise and exposing her to a risk of damage or injury.

The proceedings opened yesterday before Mr Justice Eamon de Valera who was told no defence had been entered in the proceedings. The judge will hear evidence from an expert for the plaintiff at a date to be fixed.

Ms McCormack, The Oaks, Ridgewood, Swords, Co Dublin, claims she attended at a hospital clinic at Owenstown House, Ownenstown Park, off Fosters Avenue, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.

That clinic was operated by Advanced Cosmetic Surgery (ACS) which has since gone into liquidation and the claim against that company has been discontinued. The Hospital Group later took over the assets, but not the liabilities, of ACS.

Ms McCormack said she wanted to be a D cup size and was advised she would recover quickly from surgery and paid about €6,900.

She claimed she underwent surgery, performed by Dr Loiacono, on October 20th, 2006, and suction drains put into both breasts were removed the next day. She noted the wound on her left breast where the drain was pulled out left an open hole but, she claimed, was advised at the clinic it was not necessary to stitch the wound. A dressing was applied.

Ms McCormack claimed she developed a discharge from a vertical scar on her left breast and a gap appeared in the wound which became larger. About October 31st, she returned to the clinic where a nurse dressed the wound and gave her antibiotics.

She returned a few days later as the hole had increased in size and a nurse tried and failed to close it with adhesive tape, she claimed.

Ms McCormack said she was then seen by Dr Loiacono who suggested further surgery, which she underwent on December 9th, 2006. She claimed he removed the old 280cc implant and replaced it with a smaller 250cc one but told her the new one was the same size as the old one. The consequence of that surgery was to cause significant asymmetry of her breasts.

Dr Loiacono returned her to theatre the following day and carried out further surgery to adjust the implant, she claimed. She was discharged the same day but that night was admitted to Beaumont Hospital A&E as she was feverish with chest wall pain and had a rash on the upper limbs and chest.