Bergen Man Claims Mom Of 3 Died After Liposuction Surgery: Report

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A River Vale man claims his wife died after having a liposuction procedure done, but doctors at the facility claim a rare, flesh-eating bacteria killed her.

Stephanie Sanchez, 33, had procedures done at Pelosi Medical Center in Bayonne in 2015 and 2016, according to an NJ.com report.

Sanchez went to the office Feb. 29, 2016 after experiencing "very severe pain," according to the lawsuit. She was brought to Westchester Medical Center in New York after her condition worsened, the report said; she went into septic shock, suffered cardiac arrest and her organs later failed. She was declared brain dead March 6.

Dr. Marco Pelosi II claims, the report said, that Sanchez developed necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacterial skin infection that kills body tissue after the procedure.

Necrotizing fascitis is commonly known as "flesh-eating bacteria," according to the U.S. Centers for Control.

"Sometimes poisons made by these bacteria destroy the tissue they infect, causing it to die," according to the CDC website. "When this happens, the infection is very serious and can result in loss of limbs or death."

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial, monetary damages for pain and suffering and compensation for burial expenses, according to the report.

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