A plastic surgeon in Ohio, USA, who livestreamed her procedures on TikTok, has had her medical licence permanently revoked and made to pay a fine of $4 500.
Dr Katharine Grawe, who called herself “Dr Roxy” on TikTok, first had her licence suspended in November last year, but after a hearing last week, the State Medical Board of Ohio made its disciplinary action permanent, reports MedPage Today.
In a notice of summary suspension from November, the board outlined concerns both about her livestreams and several reports of patient complications. It noted that after Grawe completed remedial education courses, she “continued to video produce and live broadcast medical procedures of some patients, at least until on or about 14 October 2022”.
“Aspects include, but are not limited to, pre-operative photos, pre-operative interviews with patients about their bodies, livestreams of their procedures, post-operative still images of patients taken in the operating room, and the cost of the procedure,” the document stated.
“During some videos/livestreams (Grawe engaged) in dialogue to respond to viewers’ online questions while the surgical procedure remain(ed) actively ongoing.”
The notice of suspension had also described reported instances of failure by Grawe to provide appropriate treatment to patients or failure to document appropriate treatment.
The notice detailed reports from three patients, identified only as patients one, two and three.
In the case of patient one, the document stated that after liposuction, a “Brazilian Butt Lift” and a plasma procedure in March last year, the patient was found to have a perforated small bowel and necrotising soft tissue infection upon being transferred to a hospital after returning home.
She required a prolonged stay, “with multiple debridements, open abdomen and skin grafting”.
“While looking at and speaking to the camera, you were engaged in liposuction of her abdomen,” the document stated. “"Despite liposuction being a blind surgery that requires awareness of the tip of the cannula to avoid injury, your attention to the camera meant at those moments you were not looking at the patient or palpating the location of the tip of the cannula.”
Patient two was reported to have required small bowel resection, two repairs of the small bowel and partial omentectomy, after liposuction and “Brazilian Butt Lift’ procedures as well as umbilical hernia repair and plasma treatments.
Patient three received a breast augmentation with silicone implants and a mastopexy revision with internal bra, but developed an infection requiring the removal of bilateral implants and the mesh bra bilaterally as well as debridement bilaterally of both breasts.
An online court records search showed that a number of lawsuits against Grawe remain active and ongoing, reports MedPage Today.
MedPage Today article – Doc Who Livestreamed Surgeries on TikTok Loses License (Open access)
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