A Miami real estate agent died of a heart attack a week after gastric bypass surgery in Colombia was performed by a doctor blamed for the death of a patient five years ago.
Dilay Escalante, 46, was born in Barranquilla on April 21 by Dr. Carlos Sales underwent bariatric surgery, her aunt Xiomara Contreras told El Heraldo.
Escalante, a native Venezuelan with dual US citizenship, had problems with her stomach soon after the procedure but was discharged from the Catalina Reina Clinic anyway.
She was taken to the hospital, where she died on Thursday.
Dilay Escalante from Miami was born in Barranquilla, Colombia on April 21st by Dr. Carlos Sales underwent bariatric surgery. She was dealing with multiple complications and died on Thursday
dr Carlos Sales told the El Heraldo newspaper that Dilay Escalante was not experiencing any problems after undergoing bariatric surgery on April 21 and was “fine” when he visited her on Wednesday
Her aunt said Escalante complained that she had a lot of gas, vomited a lot the day after the surgery and had trouble drinking water.
“They did gastric dilatations for three consecutive days and yesterday (Wednesday) when we were back at the doctor’s apartment,” Contreras said. “She told him she couldn’t take it anymore, to which he replied it was normal because of the surgery.”
Escalante’s condition worsened Thursday morning and was directed by Sales to go to the Catalina Reina Clinic for more X-rays.
Dilay Escalante, a real estate agent in Miami, died Thursday a week after undergoing plastic surgery in Colombia
Dilay Escalante was seen Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at an apartment where she was staying with her aunt because she was still feeling ill after undergoing bariatric surgery. She died on Thursday, a week after the operation
Contreras said a friend drove to the medical facility but decided instead to stop at the Iberoamericana Clinic when they noticed her condition was deteriorating.
“She turned pale, rolled her eyes and became unresponsive,” Contreras said.
Escalante was taken to the emergency room, where doctors attempted to revive her before she went into cardiac arrest.
‘We called [Sales] to appear and when he wanted to come he had already told us that my niece was dead. We want justice to be done,” said Contreras.
Sales told El Heraldo that Escalante “came out of surgery in perfect condition” and that when he saw her Wednesday, he realized she was “fine.”
Dilay Escalante was unresponsive when she was taken to a clinic in Baranquilla, Colombia, where she died on Thursday, just a week after undergoing a lap band procedure
In October 2021, the Colombian Supreme Court sentenced Dr. Carlos Sales to pay $461,072 in damages to the family of Julio Durán, who died following a bariatric procedure in 2015
In October 2021, the Colombian Supreme Court ordered Sales to pay $461,072 in damages to the family of Julio Durán, who died in 2015 following a bariatric procedure.
Sales performed what he called “Sales’ safest stomach,” which he claimed was “an alternative to restrictive bariatric surgery.”
Surgical experts interviewed by El Espectador in 2014 warned of the dangers of the procedure, noting that it “increases the risk of gastric leakage and eventual peritonitis.”
Sales, his brother and 42 other surgeons are under investigation for forging their diplomas.
In November 2017, a judge banned Sales from performing plastic surgery.
According to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, patients who choose bariatric surgery “lose weight rapidly and up to 18 to 24 months after the procedure.”
About 30 out of 50 percent of their excess weight can be reduced in the first six months. About 77 percent of the weight is lost within 12 months after the procedure.
The surgery could cost anywhere from $15,000 to $23,000 in the United States, but some patients choose to travel to Colombia, where it ranges from $5,000 to $10,000.