Doctor had a death on his table 8 years ago, what should I do?

Dear bmora704,
finding the right Dr. is extremely challenging especially with the number of online platforms and resources available. There a lot of great Dr's available. Make sure he/she is a board-certified plastic surgeon. Definitely check to make sure your choice specializes in the procedure you want and spend the time to read through patient testimonials. There is a number of different sites where you can check for reviews (Realself, yelp, google, etc.).You can always pick up the phone and call around also, find an office you feel comfortable with and set up a few consultations.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Hello, thank you for your question. If you are worried about it I would further investigate the cause of the death. If it surgically related or an issue with the patient. If its something that bothers you then I would reconsider Plastic Surgeon. There are many of them out there.

Unfortunately, a death from any surgical procedure is always a potential risk and complication. That being said, it is important to go to a surgeon that you like, and respect, one that has experience, one that is a Board, Certified, and one that you have seen multiple before and after photos for. When it comes to nicotine and alcohol, I would highly recommend that you be nicotine and alcohol free for 3 to 4 weeks before your surgery in order to optimize results.

All plastic surgeons will have had complications during their career, including significant complications. Most plastic surgeons will have been sued at least ones by the time they retire. Most plastic surgeons don’t have mortalities during their career but some will.
Having immortality during your career, most likely has a little correlation with skill or experience, but is emotionally devastating to any person involved.
I don’t believe there is any correlation with future mortality, based on having had a previous mortality in one’s career.
If you really need to investigate this further, then you should learn about the circumstances of what caused the fatality.
If the fatality was due to negligence or an error in the decision making, then this may represent a potential concern.
If the surgeon scheduled too much surgery for one day, abandoned the patient after surgery, and the patient died then this would be a red flag.
If the patient developed a blood clot after surgery and died instantaneously, or if they developed malignant hyperthermia as a reaction to general anesthesia and this has nothing to do with the surgeons, skill or experience.
If you’re actively using nicotine and drinking heavily, then perhaps this is not a good time for you to be having surgery.
I suggest having multiple in person, consultations with plastic surgeons in your community before scheduling surgery. During each consultation, you have the ability to ask your surgeons questions regarding issues you may have concerns over, including the surgeons, history of having complications, morbidity and mortality‘s.
Let them tell you in their own words what happened if this is something you feel you need to explore.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD