Advertisement

Another woman rushed to hospital while undergoing breast surgery at Sydney clinic

Another woman has been rushed to a hospital emergency department following complications during breast enlargement surgery at The Cosmetic Institute in Sydney.

A 22-year-old woman from Mordialloc in Victoria was taken St Vincent's Hospital on Wednesday afternoon from the Cosmetic Institute's Bondi clinic.

Doctors feared she was given too much anesthetic during surgery.


She is in intensive care but in a stable condition with a spokesperson from the hospital confirming she was admitted to "due to local anaesthesia toxicity".

"Owing to patient confidentiality, we are not in a position to go into any more detail," he said.

It is the second such incident at the clinic this year after Amy Rickhuss went into cardiac arrest in January while undergoing a breast augmentation procedure at the medical group's Parramatta surgery.

Ms Rickhuss said she heard about the incident from a friend who was at the Bondi office at the time.

It is the second time this year a at The Cosmetic Institute patient has been rushed to hospital during breast surgery. 7 News
It is the second time this year a at The Cosmetic Institute patient has been rushed to hospital during breast surgery. 7 News

"My friend was there when the alarm went off," Ms Rickhuss told Fairfax.

"Something needs to be done … I'll do what I can to help other girls."

It is believed Ms Rickhuss went into cardiac arrest she was given intralipid, a drug usually administered to treat local anaesthetic overdose.



She is seeking legal advice and has been contacted by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission.

The Cosmetic Institute confirmed in a statement there was a complication with a female patient at 12.39pm Wednesday that occurred during a breast augmentation procedure at their Bondi Junction clinic.

"Our surgeon and specialist anaesthetist were able to immediately stabilise her on site, and as a precautionary matter we arranged an ambulance transfer to a local hospital for further treatment and observation, where she is now recovering," the statement said.

"Given the patient confidentiality agreements we have with all our patients, we are unable to provide more details other than to say she is safe and stable.

"Patient safety is always front and centre of all our procedures at The Cosmetic Institute clinics. No further medical information can be provided at this stage nor can we speculate on what may have been the cause. We will be maintaining close contact with the patient."

National news break – September 2