Medical Malpractice Suit: Breast Surgery Gone Wrong

The family of a high school senior in Florida whose daughter died in connection to surgery 18 months ago is suing the surgeon and anesthesiologist who preformed corrective procedure.

In March of last year, Stephanie Kuleba experienced a reaction to anesthesia known as malignant hypothermia while undergoing surgery in Boca Raton to rearrange asymmetrical breasts an inverted areola, Fox News reports.

The lawsuit alleges that Kuleba's surgeon, Steven Schuster and anesthesiologist, Peter Warheit, were negligent in failing to diagnose their patient's condition and denying her care. Experts have said that an intravenous muscle relaxant called Dantrolene sodium can be administered to counteract the effects of the malignant hypothermia.

Joanne Kuleba, the patient's mother, told the news source, "People survive malignant hypothermia episodes if treated quickly and properly, according to medical standards. Stephanie was not afforded such care."

Kuleba was co-captain of her high school cheerleading squad, and had been accepted into the pre-med program at the University of Florida.

In 1999 the Institute of Medicine reported that medical malpractice contributed to about 98,000 each year.