Liposuction and anaesthesia

Abstract

The demand for plastic surgery procedures has increased globally.¹ Liposuction is the second most common cosmetic procedure performed with over 1.6 million procedures performed annually in the United States of America.² Liposuction is simplistically described as suction-assisted lipoplasty that removes fat deposits from beneath the skin.^3,4 The increasing demand for body contouring procedures and associated costs of in-hospital care has motivated for more procedures to be performed in the office-based and ambulatory settings.¹

Although a seemingly minor procedure, a complication rate of between 1.2–5%^5,6 has been described, with a mortality rate of between 0.003–0.02%.³ It is prudent for the anaesthesiologist to be familiar with the techniques used to facilitate liposuction, the options for anaesthesia, and the recognition and management of complications in order to provide safe care to patients.