Dr. Atul MADAN KILLS PEOPLE! THE LAP BAND IS SAFE DR. ATUL MADAN IS NOT!!!
On Dec. 22, the day of the surgery, Walter's family received a frantic call from the Beverly Hills Surgery Center, where the procedure was performed. She had coded, they said, and was en route to the emergency room.
The clinic is being sued by at least two others, and the California Medical Board has taken action against some of its physicians.
In December, Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, wrote a letter to the federal government urging an investigation into the company's marketing techniques and medical practices.
Walter's family is still unsure what happened. They are assembling her medical records and are awaiting an official cause of death from the county Coroner's Department.
The results of the autopsy, performed Jan. 5, are pending further tests and won't be available for several weeks, said Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner.
Brown said her sister, a South Bay native, had undergone a number of medical exams before the procedure to assure she was in good health.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to rule any day on whether to approve the procedure for those who are slightly obese, or those with a BMI of 30 or higher. Fielding said if these new regulations are approved, more than 2 million Los Angeles County residents would qualify for the procedure.
The family has not yet decided to whether to sue; for now, they want to get the word out to others about the risks of this procedure.
Two physicians affiliated with the clinic, Julian and Michael Omidi, have also landed in trouble with the California Medical Board. Michael Omidi was placed on probation in 2008 for gross negligence, and Julian Omidi's medical license was revoked in 2007.
Madan, whose license is in good standing, reportedly took over management of the surgery center last fall. Brown said that Madan offered to cover her sister's funeral expenses - an offer she refused.