News Releases
Discipline Committee Decisions
Dr. Behnaz Yazdanfar, Dr. Bruce A. Liberman
May 4, 2011
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (“the College”) released the results of its most recent disciplinary hearings. The College is the licensing and disciplinary body for physicians in Ontario. Hearings are held to review allegations of professional misconduct and incompetence, and are open to the public. The following are brief summaries of recent discipline hearing results. The Discipline Committee’s full decisions and reasons for decisions are posted on the College’s website as they become available. Full decisions are located by entering the doctor’s name in the Doctor Search section of the College’s website at http://www.cpso.on.ca/docsearch.
Dr. Behnaz Yazdanfar, Toronto. On May 4, 2011, the Discipline Committee found that Dr. Yazdanfar committed an act of professional misconduct, in that she failed to maintain the standard of practice of the profession; she has contravened the advertising regulation; and, she has engaged in conduct or an act or omission relevant to the practice of medicine that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional. The Discipline Committee also found that Dr. Yazdanfar is incompetent.
In respect of the patient KS, Dr. Yazdanfar failed to maintain the standard of practice: in her performance of liposuction; in her post-operative care and treatment; and, in her record keeping. Dr. Yazdanfar engaged in unprofessional conduct: in commencing liposuction on another patient while KS was unstable and/or failing to abort the liposuction on the other patient after learning of KS unstable and/or deteriorating condition; and, in knowingly breaching the acceptable standards of practice with respect to her performance of liposuction.
In respect of the patient FM, Dr. Yazdanfar failed to maintain the standard of practice: in her failure to obtain informed consent; in her performance of liposuction; and, in her post-operative care and treatment including her discharge arrangements. Dr. Yazdanfar engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct in knowingly breaching the acceptable standards of practice with respect to her performance of liposuction.
In respect of the patient MP, Dr. Yazdanfar failed to maintain the standard of practice: in performance of liposuction; and, in post-operative care and treatment. Dr. Yazdanfar engaged in unprofessional conduct in knowingly breaching the acceptable standards of practice with respect to her performance of liposuction.
In respect of the patient QR, Dr. Yazdanfar failed to maintain the standard of practice and engaged in unprofessional conduct: in failing to obtain informed consent; in failing to provide the patient with a proper choice of procedures; in failing to advise the patient that she did not perform one of the requested procedures; in failing to adequately advise the patient of increased complications with increased implant size; in failing to select, assist the patient in selecting and failing to take responsibility for selection of appropriate implant size; and, in offering an inappropriate manner of correcting the first operation (using smaller implants in the same pocket).
In respect of the patient WX, Dr. Yazdanfar failed to maintain the standard of practice and engaged in unprofessional conduct: in failing to obtain informed consent; in failing to formulate an appropriate treatment plan, in that she failed to adequately advise about and explore all possible options for dealing with the patient’s presenting complaint; in failing to advise the patient of increased complications with increased implant size; in failing to select, assist the patient in selecting, and failing to take responsibility for selection of the appropriate implant size; in failing to make appropriate treatment decisions and recommendations; and, in failing to recognize and appropriately manage complications.
In respect of certain patients in her cosmetic surgery practice from 2005-2007, Dr. Yazdanfar failed to maintain the standard of practice: in the performance of liposuction, including performance of liposuction in combination with other procedures; in her engagement as a co-surgeon in the combination of liposuction and abdominoplasty; in her pre-operative evaluations; in failing to obtain informed consent in the patients with co-morbidities; and, in her post-operative care and treatment. Dr. Yazdanfar engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct in knowingly breaching acceptable standards in her performance of liposuction.
Dr. Yazdanfar contravened the advertising regulation and engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct through posting advertising on the Toronto Cosmetic Clinic website, which is misleading or deceptive and which contains testimonials and/or superlative statements about her cosmetic practice.
The Committee found that Dr. Yazdanfar is incompetent in relation to her care of two liposuction patients in 2007, certain liposuction patients in her cosmetic surgery practice from 2005 to 2007, and in the care of two breast augmentation patients in 2007 and 2008.
A penalty hearing is yet to be scheduled. The complete written reasons for this decision will be available on the College’s website on May 5, 2011, located by entering the doctor’s name in the Doctor Search section of the College’s website at http://www.cpso.on.ca/docsearch.
Dr. Bruce A. Liberman, Toronto. On May 4, 2011, the Discipline Committee found that Dr. Liberman committed an act of professional misconduct, in that he failed to maintain the standard of practice of the profession and engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct. The Committee also found that Dr. Liberman is incompetent regarding his post-operative care of a liposuction patient.
Regarding 55 patients at two cosmetic clinics, the Committee found that Dr. Liberman failed to maintain the standard of practice of the profession in not charting the vital signs of the patients on admission to the recovery room.
Regarding the post-operative care of a liposuction patient and charting regarding this patient, the Committee found that Dr. Liberman failed to maintain the standard of practice of the profession and engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional conduct: in his failure to aggressively treat the patient's hypovolemia; in his failure to call 911 when his initial treatment failed, and later when the patient became unconscious; in his failure to chart the initial recovery room vital signs and failure to chart his intervention prior to intubation. He also engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional conduct when he removed his September 20, 2007, resuscitation note from the chart and replaced it with a note written the next day, and with regard to his misleading statements on the replacement resuscitation note. The Committee also found Dr. Liberman incompetent in his post-operative care of this patient.
A penalty hearing is yet to be scheduled. The complete written reasons for this decision will be available on the College’s website on May 5, 2011, located by entering the doctor’s name in the Doctor Search section of the College’s website at http://www.cpso.on.ca/docsearch/.
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