The Premiere Site For Celebrity Plastic Surgery By A Real Plastic Surgeon

I'm a Michigan-based Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who has been featured on Dr. 90210. The info here is my opinion alone and should not be taken as fact or as medical advice. I've not treated any of the celebrities presented here.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Michael Jackson, Propofol, and HIPAA


Not surprising, the rumors are swirling regarding Michael Jackson's death. A couple thoughts:

1. The medication that TMZ reported was found in his home, Propofol, is extremely dangerous indeed. I have never heard of it being used recreationally, but see it used every day when I perform plastic surgery. This powerful drug is given intravenously to induce a rapid unconscious state. It's fast acting but also cleared very quickly from the bloodstream. If it is given in a large quantity then the unconscious state can be so deep as to create respiratory arrest. This can eventually lead to a cardiac arrest. I believe the only people who should administer this drug are anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists.

2. I am surprised that the nurse who claims that Michael asked her to inject him with the medication is revealing this info to the press. I believe it's a violation of HIPAA privacy laws, similar to when a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills revealed through his publicist that he turned down Donda West for surgery due to heart disease.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.
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1 comment:

Antonia Rosina said...

This is pretty scary: Not only the fact that MJ was injected with Propofol, but that someone "professional" would breach confidentiality in this way. BTW, I was having my hair done today when I came upon an article where Dr. Y. was commenting on what he thought various celebs might have had done. I can't remember the magazine but I had a good time reading his comments.