PROPERTY head honcho Franklin Heng died from punctures to his intestines sustained during liposuction surgery last December.
The 44-year-old's death certificate, obtained by The Sunday Times last Friday, indicated that the cause of death was 'multiple iatrogenic punctures of the intestines due to liposuction'.
Plastic surgeons whom The Sunday Times spoke to said that while it was not unheard of for a doctor to accidently tear or puncture a patient's intestines during liposuction, such incidents were 'extremely rare'.
Dr Andrew Tay, a consultant plastic surgeon at The Plastic Surgery Practice, said defects in a patient's abdominal wall that made it weaker than normal, might increase the risk of such injuries during the procedure.
'But in situations where the abdominal wall is quite normal, I think it would be quite unlikely or even unusual,' added Dr Tay, who has been a fully qualified plastic surgeon for eight years.
On Dec 30, Mr Heng was taken by ambulance to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) from Reves Clinic, where he was undergoing liposuction.
--ST