Clinic run by suspended plastic surgeon closes

The clinic operated by a suspended plastic surgeon has closed amid an investigation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.

Ziesmann Cosmetic Clinic has closed permanently, a staff member at the Portage Avenue site told the Free Press Friday, before breaking down in tears and declining to comment further.

Manitoba’s physician watchdog suspended clinic founder Dr. Manfred Ziesmann on Oct. 15 while the probe is being conducted, said Dr. Guillaume Poliquin, the assistant registrar of complaints and investigations, last week.

The college had placed restrictions on Ziesmann’s practice earlier this year following a disciplinary hearing regarding patients who suffered complications from breast augmentations and other surgeries.

One of Ziesmann’s former patients, a woman who was considering a breast reduction procedure, said she received a call from the clinic Friday to say all of her appointments would be cancelled.

“I just got a phone call from his office saying, ‘We’re just calling to let you know he is gone, he is retired. The office is shutting down in a couple of hours,” said the woman, who the Free Press is not naming to protect her privacy.

“They said they were blindsided by it. It was a complete, out-of-the-blue shock.”

The woman said she briefly met Ziesmann last year after she attended the clinic for cosmetic cool sculpting. The non-surgical procedure uses freezing to eliminate fat cells in targeted areas.

While at the clinic, a staff member recommended she meet with Ziesmann to discuss breast reduction surgery. At a consultation appointment a few days later, he showed up about four hours late, she said.

The patient was not satisfied with the consultation, saying it was rushed and didn’t adequately address her questions and concerns about the scope of the procedure, possible risks and the recovery period.

She said she needed extra time to consider the surgery, but asked the office to keep her on Ziesmann’s client list in case she changed her mind, she said.

“It didn’t feel right,” she said.

Ziesmann registered with the college in 1981 and was licensed as a plastic surgeon in 1987. At the time of the March hearing, he had been the subject of six complaints related to: obtaining informed consent from patients; his level of vigilance and attentiveness in following patients and monitoring for post-operative complications; and/or the accuracy and completeness of clinical documentation, a disciplinary report said.

Twice, in 2017 and 2020, Ziesmann was ordered to complete additional record keeping and communication training, it said.

The college’s investigations committee comprises two doctors and a member of the public who does not work in health care. Its role is to review complaints and decide an appropriate outcome. If a complaint is found to be credible, it can result in a disciplinary hearing in which details are compiled in a public report.

The latest investigation into Ziesmann has not progressed to that stage.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca