Two families are pursuing legal action against a South Florida cosmetic surgery clinic after their loved ones allegedly died following procedures performed at the facility.
Attorneys with the Coral Gables-based law firm Silva and Silva identified the patients as 19-year-old Endrys Elian Martinez and 35-year-old Kenly Millan Aponte, a mother of two.
Martinez, a student, died Tuesday after complications related to a rhinoplasty procedure at Svelta Plastic Surgery. Attorney George Silva said Martinez had traveled from Tennessee to Miami for the surgery.
“Right before the surgery commenced, after the anesthesia had been induced, he had a complication that was unrecognized and remained without oxygen for countless minutes,” Silva said. “Eventually, he was declared irreversibly brain dead this past Memorial Day”.
Aponte, who also traveled from out of state—from Kentucky—for a “mommy makeover” procedure at the same clinic, died on April 29 after suffering complications during surgery.
“She underwent a breast procedure among other cosmetic procedures and in the midst of that procedure she had a horrible outcome and ultimately succumbed despite being transported to a local hospital,” Silva said.
The attorney claims both deaths are connected to malpractice by the clinic.
Svelta Plastic Surgery is located near Southwest Eighth Street and Southwest 49th Avenue in Miami. The clinic’s website advertises cosmetic procedures under the slogan “Transform Your Body, Reclaim Your Confidence”.
According to Silva, the business has operated in South Florida for nearly two decades. “Svelta Plastic Surgery actually has been in operation for the better part of 20 years,” Silva said. “It used to be called Seduction Plastic Surgery, and in January of this year, we are uncertain why they changed the name”.
CBS News Miami visited Svelta Plastic Surgery seeking comment and also reached out by phone and email. As of Tuesday night, the clinic had not responded.
It remains unclear whether lawsuits have officially been filed in either case.
