Blood loss during liposuction using the tumescent technique

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Surgical Techniques
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Significant blood loss is a concern in large-volume liposuction exceeding 1500 mL.
• The tumescent and super-wet techniques involve infiltrating large volumes of dilute lidocaine with epinephrine.
• These techniques are hypothesized to dramatically reduce blood loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and quantify blood loss during liposuction using the tumescent or super-wet technique.
• To compare blood loss with historical data from dry or classical wet techniques.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 25 consecutive liposuction cases with expected aspirate volume >1000 mL.
• Pre- and postoperative hemoglobin measurements were taken.
• Hemoglobin levels in the aspirate's fluid fraction were also analyzed.

Main Results:

• Mean aspirated volume was 1658 ± 518 mL.
• Mean postoperative hemoglobin fall was 0.7 ± 0.6 g/100 mL (5.4% ± 4.9%).
• Mean blood loss was calculated at 10.5 ± 5.2 mL per liter of aspirate.

Conclusions:

• The tumescent or super-wet technique dramatically reduces blood loss in large-volume liposuction.
• This technique offers a significant safety improvement over dry or classical wet methods.
• Quantified blood loss supports the efficacy of tumescent/super-wet liposuction for large volumes.