Plastic surgeon turns to liposuction fuel; gets good mileage per gallon of love handles
You’ve heard of living off the fat of the land. Well, one California doctor took that a step further, and has been living off the fat of his patients. Literally.
Dr. Craig Allan Bittner, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, began using the fat he removed from his patients during liposuction procedures to fuel his SUV and his girlfriend’s Lincoln Navigator, according to Forbes.com.
Interestingly enough, the same triglycerides found in vegetables and animals that can be turned into diesel fuel, are found in human fat. (Didn’t Brad Pitt tap this source for his line of soap in “Fight Club”?)
“The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel–and I have more fat than I can use,” Bittner wrote on lipodiesel.com, which has since been taken down. “Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly but they get to take part in saving the Earth.”
But one man’s innovation is another man’s (or society’s) misdeed, and the California public health department is investigating the environmentally conscious doctor. Bittner’s invention came to light after claims that he allowed his assistant and his girlfriend to perform surgeries without a medical license.
According to Andrew Besser, who represents three patients, the assistant and girlfriend, removed too much fat from patients, leaving them disfigured, and dozens of others have complained to the state medical board.
But you won’t find Bittner sticking around for the investigation. According to his Web site he has closed the practice and moved to South America to do volunteer work in at a clinic.
If reprocessing medical waste is not your cup of tea but you’re still concerned about your facility’s compling with regulations, click here to download a free check list for approved methods of handling regulated medical waste.
So, is this story an example of an innovation taken too far or not far enough? Let us now by taking the weekly poll or posting a comment below. At the very least, let’s hope refueling with liposuction never makes it to the self-service stage.
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David LaHoda
David LaHoda, the managing editor of Medical Environment Update and OSHA Watch, has produced healthcare training videos and consulted for medical practices and ambulatory healthcare facilities.
David has written 196 posts.
Comments
and the difference between this use and use of abortion products for stem cell research would be??????????
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