Woman says she was ‘awake’ , felt pain in botched plastic surgery

A broken surgical needle was found inside a Melbourne mum six months after an operation. And that wasn’t the worst thing she claims happened during the nightmare surgery.

A Melbourne doctor is facing claims he operated on a young mum while she was still awake during a botched cosmetic surgery procedure.

Christiana Pietropaoli says she felt “surgical incisions and interventions … and experienced immense pain and shock” during a liposuction procedure performed by Dr Mark Attalla.

She says during the same operation the end of a hypodermic needle broke off and was left in her right breast, but it wasn’t discovered until almost six months later.

Ms Pietropaoli, a mother of two, has launched Supreme Court action against Dr Attalla, who runs a medical clinic trading as Chelsea Cosmetics in Templestowe.

In documents filed with the court, Ms Pietropaoli, 33, alleges Dr Attalla, a general practitioner, was insufficiently qualified to offer cosmetic surgeries.

She alleges that during a meeting with Dr Attalla in January 2017 to discuss the benefit of liposuction, she specifically asked if he was a plastic surgeon. She alleges Dr Attalla said he was a specialist with a decade of experience.

She said Dr Attalla recommend liposuction to her abdomen, “love handles”, arms, and thighs, and promised she would recover from any surgery within 24 hours.

During a March 2017 operation Ms Pietropaoli said she felt immense pain after Dr Attalla allegedly failed to use a qualified anaesthetist, and instead administered anaesthetic himself.

She alleged he later advised further surgery to her breasts, and again performed the role of anaesthetist.

Ms Pietropaoli alleges she remained awake during the operation, felt immense pain, and was shocked to discover several months later part of a needle in her breast.

She said Dr Attalla had not told her the needle had broken.

A statement of claim filed with the Supreme Court alleges the surgeries and procedures, which cost about $22,000, constituted battery.

Ms Pietropaoli says she has suffered injuries including psychiatric reaction and shock, sleep disturbance, numbness and abnormal sensations in parts of her body, and the aggravation of a pre-existing anxiety condition.

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Last year the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists released safety information warning patients to check their practitioner was actually qualified to administer anaesthetic following a rise in cosmetic surgery centres.

It is estimated Australians now spend $1 billion a year on cosmetic procedures.

Dr Attalla has not yet filed his defence. He was contacted but declined to comment.

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