Bleeding in Plastic-Aesthetic Surgery: A Prognostic Pathway with Clinical Application

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Surgical Complications
• Hemorrhage Prevention

Background:

• Bleeding is a significant postsurgical complication in aesthetic surgery.
• Current practices require enhanced methods for identifying and managing bleeding risks.
• A validated clinical tool is needed to predict and mitigate hemorrhagic events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel bleeding score in predicting postsurgical bleeding.
• To assess the score's utility in managing hemorrhagic risks in aesthetic surgery patients.
• To implement and validate a clinical practice for bleeding risk assessment.

Main Methods:

• Development of a bleeding score based on literary data and anamnestic information.
• Retrospective analysis of 163 aesthetic surgery patients (January 2013 - July 2017).
• Prospective implementation and validation of the bleeding score in 223 patients (September 2017 - September 2018).

Main Results:

• Retrospective data indicated no hemorrhagic complications in patients with a low bleeding index.
• One-third of patients with a medium-high bleeding score experienced postoperative hemorrhagic complications.
• Prospective study identified three patients with moderate bleeding risk (score 4-7) and one high-risk patient (score 9) who was not operated on.

Conclusions:

• The developed bleeding score is effective in identifying patients at risk for hemorrhagic complications in aesthetic surgery.
• Routine use of this score can aid in the recognition, management, and prevention of bleeding.
• This clinical practice enhances patient safety by proactively addressing bleeding risks.