Tamara Walter tried diets and other weight-loss plans. Nothing seemed to work. Hoping to lose about 50 pounds, the 52-year-old Lawndale woman booked a bariatric procedure after seeing advertisements for the lap-band. "She was so excited," said her sister, Betty Brown. "Nothing could have stopped her from having that procedure." The day after Christmas, Walter's family took her off life support at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Now they want answers.  Walter, a Vons supervisor and new grandmother, is the second patient to die this year at the clinic, operated by a group called Top Surgeons, best known for its 1-800-GET-THIN marketing campaign. Dr. Atul Madan, the clinic director and Walter's surgeon, did not return phone calls for comment. The company's ads - prominent on billboards along a number of local freeways - fail "to provide theShe initially considered gastric bypass surgery, a more invasive procedure, but decided instead on the lap-band, which is a silicone band fitted around the stomach to shrink its size and reduce appetite. The lap-band is adjustable and removable, and covered by most insurance if the patient is considered obese. Walter had been slim most of her life, but gained weight over the last 10 years or so, friends and family said. She was uncomfortable and suffered from health complications such as sleep apnea, high blood pressure and joint pain. "She had just bought a house, she had a new grand baby," said longtime friend Patti DenBesten. "She couldn't wait to use the backyard to entertain. She planned to get a new car and go on vacation. She was so happy." At least two other families have filed lawsuits against Top Surgeons: the family of Willie Brooks Jr., a Pomona resident who had surgery at the clinic last June and died from complications 10 days after the procedure; and Jodi Smith, a Palm Springs resident who had to be hospitalized for two weeks after her procedure in July 2009 for a bacterial infection. Walter's family said she had no idea about the company's history before she booked the procedure. They said she was taken in by the advertisements, which promise patients will lose 50 pounds in less than a year. "She just wanted to feel good," Brown said. "She wanted to be healthy and feel good about herself." relevant warnings, precautions, side effects and contraindications related to the procedure," Fielding wrote.

On Dec. 22, the day of the surgery, Walter's family received a frantic call from the Beverly Hills Surgery Center, where the procedure was performed. She had coded, they said, and was en route to the emergency room.

The clinic is being sued by at least two others, and the California Medical Board has taken action against some of its physicians.

In December, Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, wrote a letter to the federal government urging an investigation into the company's marketing techniques and medical practices.

Walter's family is still unsure what happened. They are assembling her medical records and are awaiting an official cause of death from the county Coroner's Department.

The results of the autopsy, performed Jan. 5, are pending further tests and won't be available for several weeks, said Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner.

Brown said her sister, a South Bay native, had undergone a number of medical exams before the procedure to assure she was in good health.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to rule any day on whether to approve the procedure for those who are slightly obese, or those with a BMI of 30 or higher. Fielding said if these new regulations are approved, more than 2 million Los Angeles County residents would qualify for the procedure.

The family has not yet decided to whether to sue; for now, they want to get the word out to others about the risks of this procedure.

Two physicians affiliated with the clinic, Julian and Michael Omidi, have also landed in trouble with the California Medical Board. Michael Omidi was placed on probation in 2008 for gross negligence, and Julian Omidi's medical license was revoked in 2007.

Madan, whose license is in good standing, reportedly took over management of the surgery center last fall. Brown said that Madan offered to cover her sister's funeral expenses - an offer she refused.