Woman, 21, dies hours after routine nose job ‘went wrong leaving her lungs full of blood’

A YOUNG woman has tragically died after undergoing nose surgery that went horribly wrong.

Karen Julieth Cárdenas Uribe was just 21 when she had a nose job that left her “lungs full of blood”.

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The psychology student from Colombia, South America, passed out shortly after returning from surgery on January 29.

Her unnamed brother said, “She was a healthy woman, never had any serious health problems and was in good physical condition.”

After her family resuscitated her, they took her to the hospital, where she suffered multiple heart problems Cardiac arrest – what happens when the heart stops pumping.

In the hospital, the young woman continued to faint.

Doctors managed to revive the 21-year-old but decided to incubate her to help her breathe.

Karen’s brother said scans showed the student “had a significant amount of blood in her lungs, trachea and esophagus and was unable to breathe”.

“They did what they could, but after six cardiac arrests, she died,” he added.

The family have said they will file a complaint with prosecutors to determine if either party is guilty of medical negligence.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, rhinoplasty was the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in 2020 with 352,555 procedures performed in the United States.

In the UK, rhinoplasty remains the sixth most popular cosmetic surgery for women, says the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

However, the number of rhinoplasty jobs performed in the UK has fallen steadily for a decade, from 4,878 in 2013 to just 1,330 last year.

This is because many women are turning to safer and often cheaper rhinoplasty alternatives.

A “non-surgical rhinoplasty” performed with fillers is available for under £300 and can take as little as 10 minutes.

Whilst those who receive nose surgery often spend upwards of £7000, they remain hospitalized for several nights following the procedure and face several health risks.

What are the dangers of a rhinoplasty?

Rhinoplasty is not available on the NHS when done for cosmetic reasons but can be offered on the NHS if it is to help you breathe.

Rhinoplasty is a complex operation, and like any operation, it comes with some health risks.

According to the NHS, nose reshaping surgery can occasionally result in:

• persistent difficulty breathing
• Damage to the cartilage wall between your nostrils
• an altered sense of smell
• severe nosebleeds

Any type of surgery also carries a small risk of:

• heavy bleeding
• a blood clot in a vein
• infection
• an allergic reaction to the anesthetic

Your surgeon should explain how likely these risks and complications are.

You should also explain how they would be treated if you have or develop them.