Influencer Luana Andrade, 29, was having liposuction for childhood knee problem when she died, family explain

An Instagram influencer who died following complications with liposuction surgery was trying to ease the pain of a childhood knee problem by having the procedure, her family have explained. Luana Andrade died earlier this month after suffering from a massive pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your lung, a day after being admitted to the hospital to undergo the procedure, according to Brazilian news outlet Globo 1. 

Now, after some backlash from fans who questioned why the reality star had gone in for the procedure, which is often undertaken for cosmetic reasons, her family and her boyfriend have clarified that she was actually receiving treatment for a chronic knee condition which had plagued her since childhood. So, what exactly happened to Andrade, how did fans react to her death and what have her family said in response? Here's what you need to know.

Who was Luana Andrade?

Andrade was a 29-year-old Brazilian influencer and fashionista who had more than 594,000 followers on Instagram. She founded her own clothing brand named Lukand, but was also well known for starring in Season 6 of the Brazilian reality TV show “Power Couple” alongside her boyfriend João Hadad, who she began dating in 2021.

Earlier this year, she announced she had become a new stage assistant for the Brazilian show “Domingo Legal”. She was born in the Brazilian capital of São Paulo, but had been living with her boyfriend in Vila Velha , Espírito Santo, for four months, at the time of her death.

What happened to Luana Andrade?

Andrade reportedly had liposuction surgery at Hospital São Luiz on Monday (November 6), but just two and a half hours after the procedure was complete she “suffered a cardiac arrest” and was taken to the intensive care unit, according to local news reports. “Patient Luana Andrade was admitted, accompanied by her family, on Monday afternoon to the unit for a liposuction procedure, carried out by a private surgeon and anaesthetist hired by the family,” the hospital said in a statement published by Globo 1.

It continued: "After approximately two and a half hours of surgery, the patient presented with an abrupt respiratory event and went into cardiac arrest, being immediately resuscitated by the team.” The hospital said the surgery was “interrupted” and Andrade “underwent tests that revealed massive thrombosis,” which occurs when blood clots block veins or arteries. In the ICU, the model underwent “medication and hemodynamic treatment,” however, the hospital said she “progressed unfavourably” and passed away at 5.30am on Tuesday (November 7).

What did fans say about Luana Andrade's death?

Following Andrade's death, her boyfriend Hadad led the tributes to her online. Alongside a black-and-white image of the couple near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, he wrote: "It is with great regret and a lot of pain in my heart that I say goodbye to my Luana, my princess, my beautiful. It’s been two years by your side and I have no words to express how happy I was… We make a beautiful story and live our dreams intensely. More than a girlfriend you are and always will be a partner for life my love. You are my sunshine princess I ask that you continue to watch over me and all of us from above. I will love you always and forever!”

Some people left supportive comments on the post, along with their own tributes to the late star, but some questioned why her loved ones had 'allowed' her to have the surgery. Liposuction is usually carried out for cosmetic purposes, which is perhaps what people had assumed upon reading the news of her passing. However, liposuction is also carried out to treat certain health conditions, such as lymphoedema, a long-term condition that causes swelling in the arms and legs.

One person cruelly hit out at Hadad and said: "Any man with a woman he loves (or just cares about) would not approve of someone looking like her having cosmetic surgery. Especially lipo when she is clearly not in need of lipo." Another took aim at the doctor who had carried out the procedure and said: "I'm amazed that a doctor agreed to do this procedure unnecessarily; he could have directed the patient to a psychologist, because it's clear that she had an identity crisis." Someone also declared Andrade as "a victim of unattainable beauty standard preached by media and social networks".

What has Luana Andrade's family said about her death?

The family of Andrade have said that she was operated on for the lipedema on her knee that she'd been diagnosed with as a teenager. After Andrade had discussions with her family and Hadad, it was agreed that the surgery was the best way for her to try to manage the discomfort she was suffering with. Now her mum, Luciana Andrade, and Hadad have spoken to local media to respond to the criticism they have received. They explained how Luana had researched doctors for more than a year before deciding to have the surgery to address the build-up of fatty tissue in her legs.

Speaking to TV Globo magazine Fantástico her mum said: "You have no idea how cautious she was." She also added that her lifelong condition left her with such severe discomfort that she was unable to perform a number of jobs. After her research, Andrade opted to go with Dr. Luiz Benneti at São Luiz Itaim Hospital in São Paulo last week. Recalling the events of the day of the operation, the family said that Benneti began the treatment on her abdomen before moving to her legs. But it was as he moved to her lower limbs that she started experiencing complications.

Hadad, who was at the hospital, said he was becoming concerned because doctors usually update relatives about the patient's condition during the surgery but at the halfway point, they'd not heard anything. He said he and Andrade's aunt walked on to the surgery floor but soon realised something was wrong because of how the staff behaved. Hadad explained: "I started to feel a slightly strange (vibe) from the people."

A statement from the hospital read: "The clinic of Dr. Luiz Henrique Benetti Favali, responsible for the aesthetic procedure carried out by Luana Andrade, regrets the death of the patient Luana Andrade. A person with a remarkable trajectory and whose story touched many hearts. Luana recently came to him to perform the aesthetic procedure. The surgery was carried out in a reference hospital, with a qualified team. Unfortunately, as is public knowledge, Luana suffered four cardiac arrests, resulting from a massive pulmonary embolism, and did not survive despite all his efforts."