local anesthesia
lc
Dear Dr,
I am interested in doing the surgery. Considering
the risk of general anesthesia, I first consider the
local anesthesia. From some information, I know the
saline solution used in tumesent technique contains a
local anesthetic and adrenaline. I′d like to know whether
you perform the liposuction with the similar technique using
local anesthesia in the case of doing abdomen and waist.
Thank you.
I am interested in doing the surgery. Considering
the risk of general anesthesia, I first consider the
local anesthesia. From some information, I know the
saline solution used in tumesent technique contains a
local anesthetic and adrenaline. I′d like to know whether
you perform the liposuction with the similar technique using
local anesthesia in the case of doing abdomen and waist.
Thank you.
Dear lc:
The technique of "tumescent liposuction" (to do the liposuction under local anesthesia) is first introduced by Dr. Klein JA in 1993. He is a dermatologist but not a plastic surgeon. The equipment of his clinic is not perfect enough comparing with the other professional plastic surgeons, so the emergence of his new technique is based on the need of a cheap and simple procedure to accomplish his lipo. job without investing too much money to buy the expensive apparatus for general anesthesia.
The tumescent technique is rather safe for small-to-medium volume liposuction, but it is more dangerous for large volume liposuction owing to the possibility of fluid overloading and lidocaine (a local anesthetics added in the tumescent fluid) overdose, because we have to inject the tumescent fluid three times in volume for the fat we are estimated to remove .
In addition, patient may still feel painful in some sort and may be afraid in hearing the noise of lipo. machine in the operating room under local anesthesia.
If patient struggles or groans in the the above-mentioned circumstances, the surgeon will definitely be interfered with and the result of surgery may consequently be unsatifactory. Hence most of the plastic surgeons prefer to do liposuction under general anesthesia.
Moreover, we still inject the tumescent fluid into lipo area first for reducing the blood loss, but the volume of such fluid can be diminished to 1:1 for estimated fat removal volume due to the application of "ultrasound liposuction".
In modern general anesthesia, patients can still breath on their own and the complication caused by general anesthesia is extremely low.
Therefore, in my opinion, it is safest and will achieve the best result to do liposuction under general anesthesia and o use the "revised" tumescent techinque plus ultrasound liposuction.