An Allegan County, MI, doctor is being investigated over allegations he performed unauthorized cosmetic surgeries out of a pole barn.
An area woman represented by attorney John Hayes said she went to Dr. Bradley Bastow to have a liposuction performed. She’d seen him before in the past for the same procedure, visiting his regular office in 2016. Apparently satisfied with the experience, she returned to have a cosmetic touch-up on her thighs.
Bastow told her over the phone that he’d moved from his traditional office suite to a new location.
Hayes’ client was surprised when she found herself pulling up to a pole barn.
“He assured her everything was fine and she was comfortable with him in the past, so she went forward with it,” the attorney explained.
The terror of the situation only escalated once the woman was on the operating table.
“The wand that was involved was contaminated by one of the nurses that was involved,” said Hayes, referencing the wand-like suction needle used in liposuctions. “And the doctor was clearly frustrated by it, but proceeded forward.”
Not long after the liposuction was complete, the woman developed a serious infection.
She tried to contact Bastow, who offered no answers. Ultimately, she wound up having to undergo a surgical procedure at Mercy Hospital’s emergency department.
Other women who claim to be victims of Bastow’s alleged malpractice have also come forward. One, Mary Rotondo, said she was operated on in what she described as a “closet,” while another said Bastow was looking at TV while performing surgery. However, she did not clarify to the press whether Bastow was utilizing technology for the surgery or was simply distracted by a harrowing medical soap opera.
Rotondo also claimed to have awoken from an anesthetic trance after a 15-hour liposuction procedure intended to remove fat from around her knees. When she came to, she says, the only person in the operating room had fur, four legs, and a decidedly non-human tail.
“I was wide awake and I was scared, I didn’t know what to do, my legs were bloody,” Rotondo recounted. Uncertain of where Bastow was or where to go, she wound up driving herself home.
Both women say Bastow didn’t do any “pre-evaluation procedures.” He also asked for cash up-front, with each operation resulting in hospitalization.
Even with the impending legal action, Bastow hasn’t been arrested, detained, or stripped of his license. The pole barn, which failed site inspections on three separate occasions, was staffed by a woman in scrubs when Fox 17 went to investigate.
She told the network Bastow wasn’t available for comment.
The Health Department is asking anyone who may have had a patient-professional interaction with Bastow at the pole barn to come forward with information, especially if they experienced complications.
The Allegan County Sheriff’s Department has also launched an investigation.
Sources
Former patient says procedure in pole barn left her disfigured
Two liposuction patients of Dr. Bradley Bastow recall it as a “nightmare”
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