Doctor temporarily banned from performing plastic surgery after patient's death

Lattia Baumeister, 30, dies after procedure at Seduction Cosmetic Center

DORAL, Fla. – A judge has temporarily banned a South Florida doctor from performing plastic surgery procedures after a woman died under his care, Florida Department of Health spokesman Brad Dalton said Tuesday in an email to Local 10 News.

Dalton said Dr. Osak Omulepu's license was revoked by the Board of Medicine in April.

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He said the First District Court of Appeals granted a stay of revocation while on appeal.

A motion by the Department of Health to impose conditions on that stay was denied last Thursday.

Dalton said a second motion Monday by the department to impose conditions on the stay in the case was preliminarily granted. 

"We are waiting for a final resolution of that motion, but during this time Dr. Omulepu shall not perform plastic surgery procedures and shall have a board-certified physician present for any other medical procedures," Dalton said.

Miami-Dade police said Lattia Baumeister, 30, of Rock Island, Illinois, was undergoing a cosmetic procedure Thursday morning at the Seduction Cosmetic Center, 2500 NW 107th Ave., in Doral when she experienced a medical emergency.

She was taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center, where she died.

An incident report listed Omulepu, 44, as the physician who operated on Baumeister.

"Dr. Omulepu is absolutely devastated by the complication that occurred in this case," his attorney, Monica Rodriguez, said. "This is the first patient death he has had. Although what happened has been widely documented as a complication of the procedure the patient underwent, it is not a situation any surgeon wants to have."

According to Florida Department of Health records, there was a February 2016 order of emergency restriction of license filed against Omulepu, who was previously affiliated with Encore Plastic Surgery.

Omulepu, also formerly of Vanity Cosmetic Surgery and Spectrum-Aesthetics Center for Cosmetic Surgery, was accused of injuring four patients, ages 29 to 35, in 2015.

Omulepu received the Florida Surgeon General order of emergency restriction after he was accused of botching medical procedures in 2015 that resulted in hospitalizations from three days to three months.

Some of his alleged mistakes included not using the correct proportion of anesthesia.

Records show he has had 12 formal complaints made against him.

The cosmetic center was temporarily ordered shut after the incident by inspectors with the city of Doral.

Below is a list of the violations found at the business:

-Six medical doctors did not possess the city business license.
-Business was performing massage therapy without an active State of Florida massage therapy establishment license.
-Business did not possess an active massage therapy establishment city business license.
-Massage therapists did not possess current city business licenses.
-There were interior alterations within the establishment without the required building permits, including modifications within two operating rooms.

Miami-Dade police are working with Doral police in the death investigation.

The cosmetic center's owner, Gretel Jardon, refused to speak to Local 10 News about the death.


About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.