Plastic surgeon livestreamed procedures on TikTok, banned from practising in Ohio

Dr. Katherine Roxanne Grawe, known to her online followers and patients as Dr Roxy. Photo / AP

An Ohio plastic surgeon’s state medical licence was permanently revoked on Wednesday after a medical board determined she harmed patients while livestreaming their surgeries on the social media app TikTok.

The Ohio Medical Board voted to ban Katharine Grawe — also known as Dr Roxy in her plastic surgery practice “Roxy Plastic Surgery” and to her many TikTok followers — from ever practising again in the state.

The board said Grawe, who originally had her licence suspended in November, neglected her patients as she live-streamed parts of their procedures, spoke into a camera and answered viewer questions — all while the surgeries were taking place.

Neither Grawe nor her lawyers responded to Wednesday’s messages seeking comment. Grawe’s TikTok account is currently private.

The board warned Grawe about her actions as early as 2018, citing concerns over patient privacy and possible ethics violations, according to a previous board suspension notice.

The notice also listed three patients of Grawe’s who suffered severe complications and needed intense medical care after she operated on them. One woman’s intestine was found to be perforated a week after her surgery, a procedure that Grawe partially livestreamed on TikTok.

The unnamed patient suffered severe damage to and bacterial infections in her abdomen, as well as loss of brain function from the amount of toxins in her blood, according to the notice.