After a patient suffered serious harm or perhaps death as a result of Dr. Kristine Brecht’s negligence, a state commission restricted her practice as a cosmetic surgeon at Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa. Keep reading to learn more about the plot:
Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa: A Concise Introduction
A broad variety of surgical and non-surgical procedures for body contouring and facial aesthetics are available at Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa by Dr. Brecht. These treatments are available for both men and women.
On the other hand, the usage of the word “cozy” might be seen as a front for a lack of professional standards or competence, although they claim to provide individualized care.
At first glance, the warmth and empathy shown by the personnel may seem to be inviting; nonetheless, this may be seen with skepticism as a replacement for experience and understanding of the subject.
The fact that the majority of patients are recommended by both friends and family members may indicate either a lack of general awareness within the medical community or a dependence on informal networks rather than a reputation that is established on merit and shows excellence.
Their expression of appreciation for being a part of a patient’s rejuvenation journey might be seen as an effort to manipulate emotions or redirect attention away from any potential deficiencies in the quality of their services.
These elements, when seen negatively, have the potential to create issues about the legitimacy of the institution, the competency of its personnel, and its dependence on personal recommendations rather than a solid reputation that is established on verifiable expertise and top-tier service delivery.
Who is the Owner of Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa?
The owner of Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa, Dr. Kristine Brecht, proclaims herself as a highly trained cosmetic surgeon with, ostensibly, more than 20 years of expertise. Her Burien, Washington, office is boldly called “State of the Art,” and she uses it to try to project an image of modernity and refinement.
Despite Dr. Brecht’s extensive experience in cosmetic surgery and her leadership positions in numerous organizations, including the American Society of Liposuction Surgery, her recent brush with the Washington State Medical Commission (WMC) calls into question her credibility. Dr. Brecht’s medical license was restricted after an investigation by the WMC brought into doubt her professionalism and the quality of her practice.
The scrutiny surrounding Dr. Brecht’s recent disciplinary action has cast a shadow on her alleged specialty in liposculpting, especially for women, and her focus on adopting the newest technology. The WMC’s research raises concerns about possible flaws in her procedures and patient care practices, despite her assertions that she offers revolutionary ways to body contouring.
Concerns about the consistency and quality of treatment at Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa have been raised by Dr. Sam Lien, President of the Washington State Society of Plastic Surgeons, over Dr. Brecht’s involvement with many complaints filed with the WMC. It is important to exercise care while contemplating her services since these complaints suggest a history of patient discontent.
Whatever happened to make Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa a disgrace?
Dr. Kristine Brecht’s professional reputation has taken a major hit after a decision by the Washington State Medical Commission (WMC) concerning conduct that caused serious injury or death to a patient. Brecht is a cosmetic surgeon who is associated with Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa. The ruling’s effect on her medical license was to limit her practice.
A cosmetic surgery expert and regular on the KING 5 talk program “New Day Northwest,” Dr. Brecht has received a lot of praise and has even been on television, but it hasn’t stopped some from criticizing her.
Reporters from KING 5 have uncovered 17 official complaints lodged against Dr. Brecht with the WMC since 2017, a number that is worrisome according to specialists in the issue. Licensing requirements and practice standards for MDs and PAs in Washington state are monitored and enforced by the Washington Medical Commission (WMC).
After a patient endured severe deformity as a result of what was described as a “botched” operation by Dr. Kristine Brecht, a cosmetic surgeon from Burien with a record of disciplinary actions from the state medical board, a King County jury recently handed down a hefty $13 million in damages.
The patient’s attorneys claim that Dr. Brecht subjected the lady to a battery of cosmetic treatments even though she was not a good candidate and that the surgeries caused “devastating” harm. It should be noted that the Washington Medical Commission had suspended Dr. Brecht’s license to practice medicine just one month before.
In July 2022, the patient filed a complaint alleging that the surgeon had neglected to do a thorough evaluation before executing a broad range of surgical procedures on a patient with poorly controlled diabetes, including brachioplasty, liposuction, mastopexy, and abdominoplasty.
Dr. Brecht was also said to have failed to warn the lady about the dangers of skin necrosis or to provide the conventional advice that she should stop smoking before undergoing this kind of surgery.
Furthermore, the lawsuit revolved around the use of “Cinderella Anesthesia,” a peculiar combination of oxycodone and lorazepam used as a general anesthetic. The patient supposedly suffered from amnesia due to this peculiar therapy. Dr. Brecht’s surgical procedures were further heightened by the shocking allegation that she used shackles and weights to hold patients during surgery.
According to the patient’s legal team, Dr. Brecht’s thorough skin removal procedure left the patient with significant scars. Additionally, they claimed that the surgeon was at fault for the patient’s lack of postoperative care and the delay in treating infections at the surgery site. The jury’s hefty monetary award was based on the patient’s extensive and long-lasting deformity, which was caused by these claimed failures in care and unusual treatments.
Patient Fatalities in Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa
One of the complaints was filed by Shannon Etter, a 54-year-old from West Seattle who had surgery. The procedure was performed by Brecht, including a tummy tuck and liposuction on October 25, 2019.
Authorities in the state concluded that the doctor had no business operating on Etter. Her bad condition made her a “poor risk” for the operation, according to the authorities’ conclusions.
Mother Mary Frances Duggan said that six months before her daughter Etter’s operation, her primary care physician had warned her against it. Because Shannon was wrong to undergo surgery, she should not have.
The patient’s general health took a nosedive three days following their medical procedure; they have been officially named Etter in state documents. Her condition was diagnosed as septic shock and multiple organ failure upon arrival at Highline Hospital in Burien by ambulance after she collapsed at her residence.
Even though her loved ones were there two days later, when she was taken off life support, the patient tragically passed away. Because of this domino effect, her closest friends and family were shocked and confused about what had happened.
When the state’s investigators looked into Dr. Brecht’s practice at Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa, they found several major problems. It turned out that she hadn’t checked Etter’s vitals well enough before the job. Also, during the three-day post-op follow-up appointment, the patient’s oxygen levels were found to be “dangerously low.”
It came as a shock to hear that Dr. Brecht did nothing to help the patient’s condition, including not calling for supplemental oxygen or any emergency assistance.
The Washington Medical Commission (WMC) investigation team asserted that Dr. Brecht performed an improper operation on Etter because she was unable to conduct a thorough physical exam, collect a complete medical history, and interpret lab results quickly enough. Etter died as a consequence.
Researchers also found that the Washington Medical Commission (WMC) reprimanded Dr. Brecht of Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa because of this failure. Someone has speculated that Dr. Brecht’s lack of response to the dangerously low oxygen levels at Etter’s follow-up appointment was a contributing element to the tragic outcome.
Doctor Brecht of Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa defended Etter by saying that she and her husband had willfully concealed details about the patient’s long-term health problems.
Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa’s Dr. Brecht said that she wanted her patients to be honest about their health by claiming that Etter had concealed her terminal liver disease, persistent lung damage, and many episodes of pneumonia requiring a ventilator each year.
To support her case, Dr. Brecht said that she relied on her patients’ candor when discussing their health histories. According to Dr. Brecht of Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa, the patient would have opted out of the procedure if she had known about these risk factors beforehand.
Criminal charges were leveled against Dr. Brecht of Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa by the authorities. These charges pertained to nine separate patients.
The lawsuit was brought by the state. Five complaints included the wrong prescription of controlled drugs, while four complaints were surgical conditions.
When considered as a whole, these allegations cast serious doubt on Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa’s Dr. Brecht’s professional judgment and the treatment he provided to his patients.
Anesthesia Issues in Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa
There was a pattern of “inappropriate anesthesia” being used throughout the procedure, according to state investigators.
Despite orders from a board-certified anesthesiologist or a competent registered nurse anesthetist, her anesthesiologist, Brecht of Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa, opted not to provide general anesthesia or intravenous (IV) sedation. According to medical records, she relied on oral narcotics including oxycodone, lorazepam, and zolpidem (Ambien) even during operations that posed a high risk of complications.
Without an intravenous line, the surgeon could not reach the patient’s bloodstream in the event of an emergency, and the state claims that “oversedation is a concern with the amount of (oral) medications” used during surgeries.
In 2017, a woman in her mid-30s went to Brecht for breast augmentation. The patient complained of memory loss that lasted for days due to the amount of oral sedatives administered. The state claims that the patient’s irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure during the procedure suggest that the “patient was in discomfort and may not have been adequately anesthetized.”
In 2018, a lady in her late 60s had liposuction done by Brecht. The state’s investigations found out that the lady in question remained immobile for seven hours after leaving Brecht’s surgical center, “suggesting the patient was improperly discharged,” and that she was subsequently admitted to the hospital for the night, “further suggesting that she was over sedated.”
Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa’s Brecht denies any allegations of oversedation. In the documents that were handed to the state, she said that patients who didn’t follow post-operative instructions had less-than-ideal results. According to her, her methods of administering oral sedation are safer than the norm.
Under the treatment plan that I have meticulously devised, Brecht said that she intentionally administered the necessary dosages of oral sedatives. There are fewer dangers and hazards associated with oral sedation and local tumescence compared to general anesthesia and intravenous sedation, in my opinion. Not only that, but postoperative discomfort is lower and bleeding is less of a problem. Because it significantly reduces the risk of oversedation, I developed this method.
According to Dr. Hakim Said, a plastic surgeon and clinical associate professor at the University of Washington, “I’m sure that she was a risk to the public.” “I have to admit that I was shocked and saddened as well that that series of errors in judgment could happen.”
Dr. Said and other board-certified cosmetic surgeons who talked with KING 5 said that using oral sedation during Dr. Brecht’s operations goes against recommended standards.
As Dr. Said put it, “are possibly lethal on the table.” It makes me think of boxing while holding one hand behind one’s back. If you can only give people medication orally, you won’t be able to handle any kind of emergency.
Conclusion
Finally, Dr. Kristine Brecht’s involvement in the Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa scandal raises serious concerns about her apparent ineptitude, misconduct, and neglect. There are valid concerns about the quality of treatment offered at Dr. Brecht’s facility due to the constraints imposed on her practice as a result of her previous interactions with the Washington State Medical Commission (WMC).
State investigators’ damaging discoveries and the many complaints lodged against Dr. Brecht with the WMC point to a habit of poor procedures and carelessness with patient safety. The terrible outcome of Dr. Brecht’s alleged carelessness is shown by the example of Shannon Etter, a patient who tragically died as a result of surgery at Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa.
Concerns about administering anesthesia, such as using the wrong kind of sedation or not attending to patients’ medical requirements, highlight the concerning gaps in Dr. Brecht’s care for his patients.
The growing body of evidence against Dr. Brecht indicates a careless rejection of medical norms and ethics, notwithstanding her efforts to justify her conduct. The seriousness of the problem is highlighted by the criminal accusations that she is facing from the authorities and the broad criticism from medical specialists.
Patients thinking about getting treatments at Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Spa or seeing Dr. Kristine Brecht should proceed with great caution in light of these findings. Patients’ rights and safety must always come first, and authorities in charge of overseeing healthcare must act swiftly and decisively to hold providers accountable and stop any more damage from happening.
