June 18th 2024.
A tragic event has unfolded in the Florida Panhandle as a prominent plastic surgeon, Benjamin Brown, has been charged with the death of his wife. It all began last year when his wife, Hillary Brown, went into cardiac arrest and passed away several days later. The cause of her death has been linked to procedures that her husband had performed on her after hours at his clinic.
According to authorities, Benjamin Brown has been charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence, a second-degree felony. He was released from the Santa Rosa County Jail after posting a $50,000 bond. His defence attorney, Barry Beroset, stated that Benjamin Brown intends to plead not guilty and will vigorously fight the allegations against him in court. A scheduled arraignment will take place next month.
The events leading up to Hillary Brown's death have been thoroughly investigated by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office. It was revealed that she had gone into cardiac arrest while her husband was performing several procedures on her at his clinic in the Pensacola area. Unfortunately, she did not survive and passed away a week later at a hospital.
Last month, the Florida Department of Health took action by filing an administrative complaint against Benjamin Brown before the state Board of Medicine. The complaint seeks penalties against Brown, including the revocation or suspension of his license. This complaint not only involves his wife's case but also other incidents.
According to the Department of Health's complaint, Hillary Brown had been unsupervised by her husband or any other health care practitioner while preparing her own local anesthesia and filling intravenous bags for the procedures. These procedures included arm liposuction, lip injections, and an ear adjustment. The complaint also stated that she had taken several pills, including a sedative, painkiller, and antibiotic, before falling into a sedated state. However, there was no documentation of her consuming these pills.
The complaint also addressed the minimum professional standard of care, which does not permit patients to prepare their own medication for use in surgery. During the procedures, Hillary Brown experienced twitching in her feet and blurred vision. She informed her husband that she saw "orange," and he responded by injecting more lidocaine, an anesthetic, into her face. At this point, she became unresponsive and had a seizure.
According to the complaint, a medical assistant asked Benjamin Brown if they should call 911, and he said no. This request was repeated multiple times over the course of 10-20 minutes, and Benjamin Brown either responded with a "no" or "wait." When Hillary Brown's condition continued to worsen, Benjamin Brown finally instructed his assistants to call for paramedics and began performing resuscitation efforts on her.
However, a medical assistant informed the sheriff's office investigator that she had made the decision to call 911, not Benjamin Brown. At the hospital, emergency room doctors treated Hillary Brown for lidocaine toxicity, according to a sheriff's office report. Last month, the Department of Health issued an emergency order restricting Benjamin Brown's license to perform procedures only at a hospital under the supervision of another physician.
The order also mentioned that Benjamin Brown's wife had given injections and performed laser treatments on patients, even though she was not a licensed health care practitioner. Specifically addressing the events of last November, the order noted that muscle twitches and blurred vision are early signs of lidocaine toxicity. The order concluded by describing Benjamin Brown's treatment of his wife as "careless and haphazard," showing a concerning level of disregard for patient safety.
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