Sydney surgeon found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct

A cosmetic surgeon has claimed he did not intend to cause “any harm or distress” to patients who filed complaints against him.

A Sydney-based plastic surgeon failed to obtain informed consent from three patients and another person’s organs were damaged during a tummy tuck, a tribunal has heard.

Dr Mahyar Amjadi has been found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct after the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) heard complaints by more than a dozen patients, and that the practitioner held a “deep level of shame” over past failures.

Dr Amjadi, who runs Luxe Clinic at Edgecliff in Sydney’s east, also performed cosmetic plastic surgery and body contouring procedures at private hospitals in Sydney and Wollongong.

He in March faced a hearing before the tribunal, after the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) pursued allegations made by 14 patients he operated on between February 2017 and December 2019.

Dr Amjadi conceded he was “guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct in relation to some aspects of my patient care”, but denied being guilty of professional misconduct.

“I deny that I am not currently safe to practice as a specialist plastic surgeon,” he told the tribunal.

Among the complaints heard by NCAT was that Dr Amjadi did not obtain informed consent from three patients prior to surgery.

He failed to physically examine one patient until they were admitted to surgery for a tummy tuck, the tribunal heard.

This person, dubbed Patient C, sustained “life-threatening” damage to her pancreas, liver, and spleen via a liposuction cannula during the procedure.

“Patient C reports that when she regained consciousness following the operation, she was ‘screaming with pain’,” the tribunal judgment states.

NCAT heard evidence from an expert witness that the damage caused during a purely aesthetic procedure demonstrated a level of surgical skill and anatomical understanding “significantly below” the standard expected of a practitioner of his level.

In a statement to the tribunal addressing the complaints, Dr Amjadi said: “the patients I was seeing had physical issues that were severely impacting their lives.

“I underestimated how many patients of low financial need were seeking out body contouring surgery.

“As a result, I took on too high a patient load because I wanted to provide the service, but this at times resulted in substandard care being provided.

“I have a deep level of shame surrounding my failures as it was never my intention to cause any harm or distress to this patient demographic.

“My driving force was always to help.”

The tribunal heard Dr Amjadi also performed a breast reduction on a patient who was four months post-partum, contrary to clinically accepted practice.

“I admit that I should have delayed the surgery until a later date,” he said, according to the tribunal’s judgment.

The HCCC in 2023 sought an order for cancellation of Dr Amjadi’s medical registration and a non-review period of three to five years.

Another hearing is scheduled before the tribunal later this month.

The surgeon says on his website he has performed thousands of operations including skin cancer, facial and breast surgeries.

“I am honest and clear with my patients, and many of my patients have been coming to me for years, and referring their family members to me,” he is quoted as saying.

Dr Amjadi was contacted for comment.