Infection From Liposuction

Liposuction is a fairly common plastic surgery operation. Overall it is generally considered safe. The most significant risk comes when individuals remove too much fat during a procedure or decide to do multiple procedures at the same time. Liposuction is not weight loss surgery; it is geared to assisting with trouble areas that dieting and exercise have been unable to remedy.

• Have liposuction performed in a hospital , instead of a doctor's office.

What are the risks?

• The main risks are pulmonary thrombosis, infections, perforation to organs, hematoma or seroma, nerve damage, swelling, skin necrosis due to burns or freezing, pulmonary edema, adverse drug reactions and death.

  Individuals with a history of heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, allergic reactions to medicines, pulmonary problems, allergies, smoking, alcohol or drug use are more at risk. People also put themselves at risk by not using a trained plastic surgeon for liposuction. Additionally, it is riskier to have these procedures performed in a doctor's office instead of a hospital, in case complications arise.

  A January 2000 survey of doctors published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found a fatality in approximately one in every 5,000 patients. A follow-up study in 2002 with surgeons who only did tumescent liposuction, without general anesthetic, experienced no deaths in 65,000 cases.

Infections

• People do encounter both staph and strep infections due to liposuction, but they are relatively rare. These infections can be caused by inappropriate wound treatment after the procedure or from improper sterilization of surgical instruments. However, people using the tumescent form of liposuction are at less risk of infections. The fluid lidocane which is injected as part of the procedure actually kills bacteria.

Type of Liposuction:

• There are two major types of liposuction procedures. The first, which is the most popular, is tumescent liposuction. This has very little risk of infection. This procedure involves injecting approximately three times the amount of fluid as fat to be dissolved into the body. This fluid is made of lidocane (an anesthetic and anti-bacterial fluid), epinephrine (which contracts the blood vessels) and an IV salt solution. The fatty solution is then suctioned out. Often this procedure can be accomplished without a general anesthetic, but it takes longer. A modification of this is the super wet liposuction which uses less fluid, approximately the same amount as the fat to be removed. This is faster, but must be done under sedation with an IV or a general anesthetic.

  The other major type of liposuction is ultrasound assisted liposuction, this type of liposuction has more risk of infection. This method uses ultra sound vibration to liquefy the fat cells. This ultra sound vibration can be accomplished either externally or internally. It helps remove fat from dense fibrous areas of the body like enlarged male breasts. It is often used as a secondary procedure to tumescent liposuction. This method takes longer than the super wet liposuction and requires either a local or a general anesthetic.

Reston Foam

• People who do not use Reston Foam to reduce bruising after surgery have less chance of infections. 3M, the manufacturer of Reston Self-Adhering Foam Products, does not recommend sterilizing Reston Self-Adhering Foam and clearly states that it should not be used as a post operative compression dressing. Additionally they emphasize that it should not be used with surgical procedures like liposuction.

Skin Necrosis

• Skin Necrosis, which is the death of skin cells, can result from thermal injury. This is much more common with the ultra sound assisted type of liposuction as the ultrasonic energy can burn the skin or the blood vessels that supply the skin. This can also be due to a bacterial infection. This infection is also more common with the use of Reston Foam.