THE family of Kay Cregan, who died after undergoing a facelift in the US, has been given the right to sue the anesthesiologist who was responsible for overseeing her operation.
Ms Cregan (42), from Croom and who had family connections in Kil- laloe, died after she underwent fa- cial surgery at a Manhattan clinic in March 2005.
The family is taking a case against the plastic surgeon who carried out the procedure, Michael Sachs, and that case is due to commence in the US on September 15 next.
The New York Supreme Court has now ruled that Ms Cregan’s husband Liam can also sue Dr Madhavrao Subbarao, a certified anesthesiolo- gist.
Last year, the case against him was thrown out. However, this decision was appealed and the ruling emerged last week. The judges at the Supreme Court decided that a jury should rule Whether Subbarao abandoned Ms Cregan after the operation.
Ms Cregan, a mother-of-two, had read about Mr Sachs in a newspa- per and travelled to New York for the procedure. She collapsed in Dr Sachs’ recovery room after she had received the facelift, which was to be a surprise for her husband.
She complained of feeling dizzy the morning after undergoing five procedures, including a facelift, eye- lid surgery, nasal reconstruction and chin augmentation.
She was taken to St Luke’s Roo- sevelt Hospital and her husband im- mediately travelled to the US. He was present by her bedside when the life support machine was turned off, three days after the facelift.
Ms Cregan was a senior executive with Limerick City Council.
Dr Sachs, who was dubbed “Dr Botch” in the New York media, had
been involved in more than 30 mal- practice cases since 1995.
The Cregan family is being repre- sented by medical malpractice spe- cialist, Waterford-born Thomas A Moore. Mr Moore is suing on behalf of Mr Cregan and his two sons.