A Queens man reportedly tried to leave the country after performing surgery from a home without a license. He allegedly called emergency services after a patient fell ill and then fled the scene.
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According to a report by CBS News, Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, 38, ran a 'makeshift medical practice' from a house on 35th Street in Astoria. The building now has a 'partial vacate order' which reads, "first apartment operating as a medical office with medical exam table, cosmetic injectable syringes, exam lights."
Police reportedly responded to a call from the building on Friday. When officers arrived, they found an unresponsive 31-year-old woman. She allegedly visited Hoyos-Foronda to have her 'buttocks implants' removed. However, something went wrong during the procedure, prompting Hoyos-Foronda to call the Emergency Services. He didn't wait for them to arrive and fled the area.
CBS explains that authorities had caught his vehicle's plate with the city's license plate reader system on the Van Wyck Expressway near JFK Airport. Police allegedly confronted him in the terminal where he had already booked a flight to Columbia.
The Victim Was Administered With Lidocaine During The Surgery
Per a report by People, Hoyos-Foronda reportedly told police at the airport that he was a licensed doctor in Columbia. The outlet also explains that emergency services transported the woman to Mount Sinai Queens. Prosecutors say she suffered from lidocaine toxicity. Per the NIH, lidocaine is a local anesthetic, and while it has a 'good safety margin,' medical professionals must carefully track the dosage level to minimize its toxicity. Early symptoms of lidocaine toxicity include dizziness and blurred vision. Large overdoses can cause far more severe symptoms including unconsciousness and coma.
The woman is reportedly intubated at the hospital and has no brain function. Per Pix 11, doctors do not expect the woman to survive, and authorities believe she will die from lidocaine poisoning.
Authorities reportedly charged Hoyos-Foronda with felony assault and unauthorized practice of a profession. He has entered a not-guilty plea and is currently held without bail. The defendant is due to appear in court on Thursday morning.
