BuffyMars
03-25-2008, 01:07 PM
She was captain of her high school cheerleading squad, a nearly straight-A student and a soon-to-be pre-med freshman at the University of Florida.
But now, 18-year-old Stephanie Kuleba is dead, and her friends and relatives are pointing to breast augmentation surgery as the cause.
Several of those close to Kuleba told The Palm Beach Post that it appears she had an extreme reaction to the anesthesia. No official cause of death has yet been released, according to the paper.
"The surgery itself was very personal," said friend Benny Perlman, speaking on behalf of the teen's grieving family. "She passed away from complications during surgery."
Paramedics were summoned to the teen's aid at the Boca Raton outpatient surgery unit where she'd had the procedure Friday night, and they rushed her to Delray Medical Center. She died there on Saturday.
A spokeswoman from Delray Medical Center declined to provide details, at the family's request.
"All I can say is that we did not do the surgery," Delray marketing director Shelly Weiss told FOXNews.com. "The family has asked us not to say anything, so we have to respect their wishes."
Breast operations are among the most delicate of plastic surgeries — and a growing number of teens are having them, said Dr. Manny Alvarez, FOXNews.com's managing editor of health.
"It’s a little bit more invasive — it’s in an area of the body that has a lot of blood vessels, and it's technically challenging," he said.
"Breast augmentation is one of the most sought-after cosmetic procedures out there. Teenagers are getting these surgeries done earlier and earlier, and the fear is that if they get them too early, it might not be indicated."
Alvarez said the danger with cosmetic procedures is the casual way in which they're sometimes approached.
"In plastic surgery, there's a laissez-faire attitude because people tend to be healthy," Alvarez said. "It’s not seen as a therapeutic operation. That underlying trend could allow you to be exposed to unnecessary risks."
One of those risks is a dangerously high dosage of anesthesia, he said. Too much local anesthesia can be toxic, and at hazardous levels it can cause a patient to go into shock and die.
Alvarez said plastic surgeons have become increasingly "loosy goosy" about the patients they accept. And sometimes, outpatient facilities like the one where Kuleba had her operation are riskier because they don't have the equipment and the staff that large hospitals do.
The West Boca High School senior, whom friends described as "perfect" and full of promise and possibilities, was mourned by classmates at a candlelight vigil at the school Sunday night, according to the Post. More than 400 people attended.
Her silver pompoms and cheerleader's uniform hung outside on the school fence, and friends left flowers and notes of sorrow on the ground below.
"She was a wonderful person and she changed all our lives," Perlman said.
The high school declined to talk to the press.
"At this point in time, we have no comment," a West Boca spokeswoman told FOXNews.com. "The family doesn't want any disturbances about it."
A longtime former colleague of Stephanie's father, Tom Kuleba, told FOXNews.com that the mourning dad was unable to speak to the media "until his daughter is put to rest." Stephanie's funeral is Wednesday.
"She was a role model for a lot of people," her friend Vicky Goldring, 16, told the Post. "She was incredibly smart. She wanted to help people. She was just a happy 18-year-old girl."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341313,00.html
But now, 18-year-old Stephanie Kuleba is dead, and her friends and relatives are pointing to breast augmentation surgery as the cause.
Several of those close to Kuleba told The Palm Beach Post that it appears she had an extreme reaction to the anesthesia. No official cause of death has yet been released, according to the paper.
"The surgery itself was very personal," said friend Benny Perlman, speaking on behalf of the teen's grieving family. "She passed away from complications during surgery."
Paramedics were summoned to the teen's aid at the Boca Raton outpatient surgery unit where she'd had the procedure Friday night, and they rushed her to Delray Medical Center. She died there on Saturday.
A spokeswoman from Delray Medical Center declined to provide details, at the family's request.
"All I can say is that we did not do the surgery," Delray marketing director Shelly Weiss told FOXNews.com. "The family has asked us not to say anything, so we have to respect their wishes."
Breast operations are among the most delicate of plastic surgeries — and a growing number of teens are having them, said Dr. Manny Alvarez, FOXNews.com's managing editor of health.
"It’s a little bit more invasive — it’s in an area of the body that has a lot of blood vessels, and it's technically challenging," he said.
"Breast augmentation is one of the most sought-after cosmetic procedures out there. Teenagers are getting these surgeries done earlier and earlier, and the fear is that if they get them too early, it might not be indicated."
Alvarez said the danger with cosmetic procedures is the casual way in which they're sometimes approached.
"In plastic surgery, there's a laissez-faire attitude because people tend to be healthy," Alvarez said. "It’s not seen as a therapeutic operation. That underlying trend could allow you to be exposed to unnecessary risks."
One of those risks is a dangerously high dosage of anesthesia, he said. Too much local anesthesia can be toxic, and at hazardous levels it can cause a patient to go into shock and die.
Alvarez said plastic surgeons have become increasingly "loosy goosy" about the patients they accept. And sometimes, outpatient facilities like the one where Kuleba had her operation are riskier because they don't have the equipment and the staff that large hospitals do.
The West Boca High School senior, whom friends described as "perfect" and full of promise and possibilities, was mourned by classmates at a candlelight vigil at the school Sunday night, according to the Post. More than 400 people attended.
Her silver pompoms and cheerleader's uniform hung outside on the school fence, and friends left flowers and notes of sorrow on the ground below.
"She was a wonderful person and she changed all our lives," Perlman said.
The high school declined to talk to the press.
"At this point in time, we have no comment," a West Boca spokeswoman told FOXNews.com. "The family doesn't want any disturbances about it."
A longtime former colleague of Stephanie's father, Tom Kuleba, told FOXNews.com that the mourning dad was unable to speak to the media "until his daughter is put to rest." Stephanie's funeral is Wednesday.
"She was a role model for a lot of people," her friend Vicky Goldring, 16, told the Post. "She was incredibly smart. She wanted to help people. She was just a happy 18-year-old girl."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341313,00.html