A new law will take effect Friday in California, and is commonly known as the Donda West Law, named after Kanye West's mother, who died after elective plastic surgery.
The law is designed to insure that patients have a complete physical exam prior to having plastic surgery. In West's case, a full physical may have prevented her from having surgery, as she had cardiac issues after the procedure that contributed to her death.
Plastic surgery is often looked at as very safe, because it is not required for health reasons. For this reason, it is often not taken as seriously as other surgeries, but complications-even death- can happen, just as with any type of surgery. A physical exam is a standard for many surgeons, so this law makes sure that plastic surgery patients are afforded the same safeguards in California as other surgical patients.
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You wrote: “…she had cardiac issues after the procedure that contributed to her death.”
WRONG.
She stopped breathing from the pain killers she needed because her general anesthetic did not provide preemptive analgesia like PK anesthesia could have.
A review of her autopsy findings did not show any clot in the right coronary artery or any muscle damage in the distribution of that blood vessel.
A physical exam, now required, also would not have revealed this incidental finding. Only a stress treadmill (not required) might have.
The only physician on the public hearing committee (like I who attended and objected) said he was going to vote for the bill even though it would not improve patient safety.
Before surgery, the nine essential questions patients must ask their surgeon (& the answers they should get) are on the non-profit site of Goldilocks Anesthesia Foundation.
I understand what you are saying, that Ms. West’s coronary artery disease did not contribute to her death, and I understand why you make that statement. However, I don’t understand the objection to making a physical exam prior to surgery a requirement.
Would you explain why you, and the other physicians present at the public hearing, felt the bill wouldn’t help patients?
The objection is not to requiring a physical exam.
Any respectable surgeon will perform an exam before operating. Any non-respectable physician will find someone to to give any patient a pass’ for surgery.
The objection is based on the bill’s failure to improve patient safety by requiring a physical exam.
It is pure pandering, feel-good legislation that adds nothing to patient safety. The bill’s sponsor was Dr. West’s aunt.