Brain-dead from Laser Lipo Under Local Anesthesia?

Liposuction has been around for a long time and there have been several improvements in technique and technology. In the mid-1990's, there were several reports of death and serious complications, and the procedure started to get a bad reputation. As a result, a task force of experts was put together and it was determined that there should be limits on how much could be done at one time, and that it should be done in properly accredited surgical facilities. It then became a safe and increasingly popular procedure.
Laser lipo has been touted as a safer and less invasive "alternative" even though the laser adds additional risk and by definiton it is not less invasive. In a competetive market, larger and larger volumes are being removed and the procedure is being done in medispas as though it isn't a surgical procedure at all! In doing these larger volumes, more anesthetic and fluid has to be injected, and the risk increases. Buyer beware.

It is possible for "lightning to strike" any one of us at any time, including during a plastic surgery case.
Sadly, almost all of the bad outcomes that you will hear about in the media are have one or more of the following in common:

A practitioner with inadequate training or questionable credentials
A facility that is not properly staffed or equipped

My advice to all patients is to seek only board-certified plastic surgeons who perform their procedures in fully accredited facilities.
Your doctor should also have hospital privileges for whatever procedure he is performing, even if it is in an outpatient facility.