Justice makes plastic surgeon defendant accused of crimes against patients in RS Women who underwent procedures with plastic surgeon Leandro Fuchs report physical, emotional and financial losses after the surgeries. The first seven complaints presented by the Public Ministry against the doctor were accepted by the Court. He starts to answer for crimes such as embezzlement, misrepresentation, concussion and, against one of the patients, also for racial insult. In total, 97 investigations have been opened since the first cases were shown by RBS Notícias, at the beginning of 2024. One of the patients is professor Karina Machado Campello. ? Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp She went to the doctor to undergo breast reduction surgery, but says she was encouraged to carry out other interventions. According to Karina, the procedures left permanent marks and required successive attempts to correct them. “I feel like I’m rubbish,” says Karina. "I can't wear a bra, a bikini, a dress, anything that's tight, that hurts." In two years, Karina says she spent more than R$50,000 on reparative treatments, without obtaining the expected results. Victims reported necrosis, infections, deformities and other complications resulting from the surgeries. According to police, more than half of the 727 surgeries analyzed required repairs. There were 481 procedures that would have required new interventions, equivalent to more than 66%. In a statement, Fuchs' defense informs "that the investigations and criminal action are being carried out under judicial secrecy and, for this reason, it will not comment on the merits of the accusations." Read below in full. Patients seek redress Leandro Fuchs' patients demand compensation in court In the first investigations, the Civil Police indicted Leandro Fuchs for very serious bodily injury. However, the Public Prosecutor's Office chose not to accuse the doctor of this type of crime due to the lack of material evidence, based on the expertise presented by the General Institute of Expertise (IGP). It also argues that the aesthetic result of plastic surgery is dependent on multiple factors and that a bodily injury presupposes the occurrence of violence. "The Public Prosecutor's Office has not filed a complaint, for now, in relation to the crimes of very serious bodily injury, since the result of the reports made by the IGP was that there would be no way to prove that that scar, that that injury was due to the doctor's conduct", explains Carla Carrion Frós, who works in the coordination of the MPRS Victim Assistance Center. In addition to the criminal sphere, several patients went to court with civil reparation actions. There are almost 80 processes. The complaints include requests for compensation for moral, aesthetic and psychological damages, in addition to reimbursement of the amounts paid for the procedures and expenses with subsequent treatments. Lawyer Carine Dagostini, who represents 15 women, states that the reported impacts go beyond physical consequences. According to her, many patients would be facing severe emotional consequences after the surgeries, in addition to having invested savings accumulated over years in the expectation of achieving a result that was not obtained. 'Shame on my body' Plastic surgeon Leandro Fuchs and photos of patients Reproduction/ Social networks; Reproduction/ RBS TV Another patient reports having developed an infection after the stitches from an abdominal surgery opened. She states that she had to stay in the hospital for ten days and went to the surgical suite three times due to the complications. "I'm ashamed of my body. If I had it before, after the surgery it got worse. There were horrible scars. I'm even scared after everything I've been through", confesses the woman, who preferred not to be identified. The patient also states that she was surprised to discover that, according to the police investigation, procedures for which she had hired the doctor had been carried out by resident doctors. According to the Civil Police, it was proven in several cases that Leandro Fuchs did not remain in the operating room during procedures under his responsibility. The conclusion was based on crossing data from the doctor's cell phone with images from the security cameras at Ernesto Dornelles Hospital, where he held senior positions in the area of ??plastic surgery and medical residency. The patients' defense maintains that several of the surgeries had obvious complications and that the psychological effects are still present. Doctor remains under investigation The court even suspended Fuchs' right to practice medicine. Currently, he remains unable to perform surgeries, but has regained authorization to carry out consultations. According to the defense, the doctor is no longer working. The investigations continue. The Civil Police still conducts 57 investigations, while the Public Ministry analyzes another 32 cases that could result in new complaints to the Court. Regional Council of Medicine of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Cremers) stated that it opened an investigation, but that the process is being carried out in secrecy. (See note below). What Leandro Fuchs' defenses say In the criminal sphere "Dr. Leandro Fuchs' defense informs that the investigations and the criminal action are carried out under judicial secrecy and, for this reason, he will not comment on the merits of the accusations. Dr. Leandro Fuchs' innocence will be demonstrated throughout the procedural investigation, as occurred in relation to the accusations of bodily injuries, dismissed by the Public Prosecutor's Office due to the negative results of the expert reports. Dr. Leandro Fuchs has been practicing medicine for over 30 years and has worked as a plastic surgeon for over 20 years, always basing his conduct on the Code of Medical Ethics and current legislation.