GULF BREEZE, Fla. (TCN) — Officials recently arrested a 41-year-old plastic surgeon after his wife had a stroke, suffered a heart attack, and died from complications from multiple plastic surgeries he was performing.
According to a Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office arrest report, on Nov. 21, 2023, deputies responded to Restorative Plastic Surgery where a Midway Fire Department member was actively providing assistance to Hilary Brown, who had suffered cardiac arrest. The victim was taken to hospital and kept on life support until his death several days later. Medical staff determined that Hilary Brown suffered from lidocaine toxicity.
An employee of the plastic surgery clinic reportedly told officials, “There was a lot of negligence in the office that led to Hillary’s heart attack.”
According to NBC News, at the time of the incident, the victim's husband, Dr. Benjamin Brown, was performing scar correction, arm liposuction, lip injections, and ear correction.
An employee told deputies that Hillary Brown had taken “heavy medications” before the surgery, including Versed, tramadol, gabapentin, Valium and antibiotics. A staff member also told her investigators that Hilary Brown prepared her own IV bag but ran out during her surgery.
Benjamin Brown allegedly told the employee to get xylocaine (lidocaine). According to the arrest report, the employee said Benjamin Brown poured “two containers into a bowl,” “did not even dilute it,” and injected the substance into his wife's arms and face.
Employees told investigators the victim expressed concerns about his vision and that his face was “swollen.” Benjamin Brown continued the proceedings anyway. One employee claimed the victim started having convulsions after receiving an injection in his right eye.
When asked whether he should call 911 multiple times, Benjamin Brown said, “I want to do it myself,” one employee said. It was reported that there was no oxygen or electrocardiogram in the room. About 10 to 15 minutes later, another employee called 911, but without instructions from Benjamin Brown.
On June 17, the sheriff's office announced the arrest of Brown on charges of second-degree murder by manslaughter.
According to the arrest report, deputies learned this wasn't the first time Benjamin Brown had given a patient too much medication and had trouble waking them up. In January 2023, Brown underwent eyebrow lift surgery after allegedly overdosing another patient.
A former employee told the sheriff's office that Brown called the victim a “little alien” and that a witness believed Benjamin Brown “intentionally administered larger doses of drugs to the victim.”
The Florida Department of Health filed an administrative lawsuit against Benjamin Brown, alleging similar cases, the Associated Press reported. Additionally, last May, the license of a plastic surgeon was restricted on the grounds that he had performed laser surgery on his unlicensed wife, allowing the plastic surgeon to perform surgery only under the supervision of another doctor.
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