LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Police have launched an investigation into the Sept. 8 death of a Ladera Ranch woman who died shortly after receiving weight-loss surgery.
Paule Rojeski, 55, became the fifth person to die within the last few years after undergoing Lap-Band surgery at a clinic affiliated with the “1-800-GET-THIN” campaign, it was reported Saturday.
On September 8, Rojeski was rushed from Valley Surgical Center in West Hills to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
According to the L.A. Times, homicide detectives are handling the probe.
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A lawsuit filed in January alleges that Rojeski’s death may have been a direct result of a series of mistakes made during the surgery by two technicians, including poorly strapping in her intravenous line.
Friends say Rojeski was not significantly overweight, and didn’t need the surgery.
“I was a supportive friend, but I didn’t think she needed it,” longtime friend, Marni Rader, told The Times. “I don’t understand why it would be worth the risk for 20 or 30 pounds.”
Rojeski was the second patient to die at the West Hills facility, which has used several names, most recently Valley Surgical Center.
Tamara Walter, 52, died after undergoing Lap-Band surgery at the clinic last December. An autopsy revealed that she died as a result of “suboptimal care,” the L.A. County Coroner’s office said.
Walter requested the surgery after seeing a commercial and calling the 1-800-GET-THIN phone number.
Three additional patients have died after procedures at another clinic on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, which also has used numerous names including Beverly Hills Surgery Center, The Times reports.
Both locations receive referrals from the 1-800-GET-THIN campaign.
Earlier this year California officials launched a fraud investigation into Lap-Band surgery centers affiliated with the 1-800-GET-THIN ad campaign.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Congress are also examining alleged misleading advertising and risks of the weight-loss surgery.
Food and Drug Administration officials say warning letters have been sent to the centers and the marketing firm 1-800-GET-THIN, LLC because their billboards, television and radio ads neglect to provide required risk information, including warnings, precautions and possible side effects.
The ads, which feature customer testimonials and the 1-800-GET-THIN phone number as its signature jingle, are also drawing ire for containing font too small for consumers to read, the FDA said.
The centers named in the announcement include Bakersfield Surgery Institute Inc., Beverly Hills Surgery Center, Palmdale Ambulatory Center, Valley Surgical Center, Top Surgeons LLC, Valencia Ambulatory Center LLC, Cosmopolitan Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, and San Diego Ambulatory Center LLC.
