Stephanie Kuleba, Breast Surgery Victim

Stephanie Kuleba, 18, was a cheerleader at West Boca High School, and she had been accepted to the University of Florida, where she hoped to study medicine. But unfortunately her promising future was cut short Saturday after she suffered what doctors believe was a fatal reaction to anesthesia during breast augmentation surgery. Among other side effects, the patient’s temperature can rise to as high as 112 degrees.

Roberto D. Stanziale, a medical malpractice lawyer, said Kuleba had gone in for cosmetic surgery to correct an inverted nipple and asymmetrical breasts — a procedure that involves implants.

No official cause of death has yet been released, but family lawyer Roberto D. Stanziale told FOXNews.com that doctors believe Kuleba died of a rare and potentially deadly genetic reaction to general anesthesia known as malignant hyperthermia, which sends the body into shock. Nearly two hours into the surgery, Kuleba was rushed to Delray Medical Center, where she died 24 hours later, said Stanziale.

An intravenous muscle relaxant known as Dantrolene sodium (brand name Dantrium) is typically administered in the event of malignant hyperthermia, as it’s the only effective treatment for the reaction. But the drug wasn’t given to Kuleba at the outpatient center — only later, when she was at the hospital.

Stanziale said he wants to find out whether it was, in fact, malignant hyperthermia that killed Kuleba, when her board-certified plastic surgeon first diagnosed her with that condition and why the antidote wasn’t administered at the outpatient facility. “That was something they call a definitive treatment,” he said. “It dramatically reduces the possibility of death or serious resulting injury. My experts say the chances of walking away are 9 out of 10. The question is, why was this girl 10?”

What’s suspicious, the lawyer said, is that Delray Medical Center doctors initially tried to dissuade the family from having an autopsy — a trend he said he encounters frequently in cases that could lead to lawsuits. The hospital eventually conceded, and the medical examiner accepted the request, according to Stanziale. Results of that exam are not yet complete.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons strongly believes that no one younger than 18 should undergo plastic surgery. Cosmetic breast implants for patients younger than 18 are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, except in cases of reconstructive or corrective surgery, such as asymmetry.