93 Americans died after cosmetic surgery in Dominican Republic over 14-year period, CDC says

Dozens of U.S. citizens died after receiving cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic over a 14-year period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency found that 93 Americans died after undergoing such procedures in the Caribbean country between 2009 and 2022.

Autopsy reports were available for 20 of the cases, and in all of them, the patients suffered complications either during or after surgery, the CDC said in a report published Thursday.

A fat embolism, a condition when particles of fat in the bloodstream block blood vessels, was the cause of death for 11 of the cases, according to the CDC.