Doctor who operated on Kanye West’s mother surrenders medical license

The plastic surgeon who operated on the mother of rapper Kanye West a day before she died in 2007 has surrendered his medical license after coming under investigation for matters unrelated to that surgery, officials said Thursday.

The action by Dr. Jan Adams comes nearly two years after the Medical Board of California sought to revoke or suspend his license because of multiple alcohol-related convictions. HIs license to practice medicine already had been suspended since June 25. He was denied the opportunity to renew his license because of his failure to comply with an unspecified family-support order.

A day after the suspension, Adams was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Solano County, about 60 miles northeast of San Francisco. He pleaded no contest to a charge of driving with a blood-alcohol level of more than 0.08%, and began a yearlong sentence in Solano County Jail on Feb. 6.

Adams’ surrender of his medical license stemmed from three convictions for alcohol-related offenses from 2003 to 2006. “It’s a bad situation, but there will be redemption,” said Thomas Byrne, Adams’ lawyer.

The surrender of Adams’ license means he can no longer practice medicine in California. State law permits him to reapply for his license in three years, but to receive it he would need to prove that he has remedied his drinking problem.

A high-profile surgeon who had appeared on numerous television shows, Adams came under scrutiny after Donda West, 58, died the day after he performed numerous surgical procedures on her in his Brentwood-area office on Nov, 9, 2007.

Coroner’s officials ruled in January 2008 that West “died from some preexisting coronary artery disease and multiple postoperative factors following surgery,” including pain-control medication and the tight bandaging of her chest, which may have limited her breathing.

Late last year, state officials began investigating West’s nephew, a registered nurse who oversaw her recuperation at her Playa del Rey home after the surgery, according to a source familiar with the probe.

The length of time it takes to resolve complaints against medical doctors has been increasing overall during the last decade. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, it took an average of 977 days, or 2 3/4 years, from the receipt of a complaint against a physician to the completion of judicial review.

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ron.lin@latimes.com