Tumescent Liposuction Safety and Complications

Excessive Liposuction

The most common dangers of liposuction include risks associated with excessive liposuction. Excessive liposuction can cause undesirable results such as lumpiness, unevenness and loose skin. The two types of excessive surgery are: 1) removal of an extreme amount of fat (by liposuction) on a single day, and; 2) combining liposuction and other surgical procedures that would require prolonged exposure to general anesthesia. Either way these problems have been linked to the unfavorable reputation of liposuction. In recent years, these problems have been greatly reduced by the tumescent technique.

Minor Complications

Complications range from major to minor. Major complications are more life-threatening and minor are non-life-threatening and include bruising, scars, a lumpy appearance, sagging or discolored skin, focal skin necrosis, fainting after surgery, numbness and non-lethal drug interactions. All liposuction problems should be discussed with your doctor, as some may become serious if left untreated.

Rare & sever complications

Rare and severe complications associated with liposuction include problems with anesthesia, blood clots, injury to internal organs, excessive blood loss, hypothermia, infections, allergic drug reactions, aspiration pneumonia (most likely under general anesthesia), cardiac arrest and potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias, permanent nerve damage, and seizures.

Drugs that increase bleeding

Drugs that increase bleeding should be avoided prior to liposuction. These drugs can cause complications such as a hematoma or excessive bleeding. Drugs that can interfere with normal clotting of blood include aspirin, ibuprofen and warfare. Also, vitamin E, red wine, and some herbal remedies can cause prolonged bleeding. Please read carefully the list you are provided with of prescription and non-prescription drugs that interfere with bleeding.

Risk of local anesthesia vs. general anesthesia

Local anesthesia

Local anesthesia uses Lidocaine, the safest of local anesthetics. The most astonishing aspect is its unprecedented safety record when used as directed. The maximum recommended dosage of lidocaine for tumescent liposuction is 55 mg/kg (50 milligrams/kilogram of patient weight). All liposuction-related deaths have been associated with either the use of general anesthesia, IV sedation or lidocaine doses in far in excess of 75 mg/kg. There has never been a reported death associated with tumescent liposuction totally by local anesthesia.

Vs.

General Anesthesia

General Anesthesia can have serious complications due to human error, hypersensitivity to anesthetic drugs, undetected airway disconnection or airway blockage. Some risks include, respiratory depression, impairment of protective airway reflexes, accidental overdose of anesthesia, and can increase the risk of vomiting. General anesthesia can be safe only when administered by a board certified anesthesiologist, is not performed with other unrelated surgical procedures, and there is no excessive liposuction. However, because general anesthesia impairs the ability to breathe, when a complication does occur it can lead to disaster.