Safer Liposuction with Tumescent Local Anesthesia
Tumescent local anesthesia is becoming the standard for liposuction because it has lessened risks to the patient’s health and livelihood than general anesthesia. As a matter of fact, a 1999-2005 study found, ” anesthesia causes 34 deaths a year and 281 deaths a year in the United States.”
While general anesthesia has vastly improved since this study was conducted, no cosmetic surgeon wants to risk their patient’s life or health. As a result, many surgeons are turning to tumescent local anesthesia (TLA) for their liposuction procedures. TLA poses risks to the patient too, but those risks are much less than general anesthesia.
In this article, you will read about the risks associated with tumescent local anesthesia. Both and general anesthesia as well as why Liposat® Power is a leading TLA device.
What are the Risks Associated with Tumescent Local Anesthesia?
Tumescent local anesthesia is considered one of the safest forms of anesthesia simply because the patient is awake during the procedure. The patient is ready to tell you when they are in need of something during surgery.
The benefits of TLA are:
- Possibly reduced costs to the patient since anesthesiologist is not needed
- Mild pain after surgery because of anesthetic is in the surgical location
- Small cuts reduce the risk of infection and blood loss
- Reduce risk of hematomas, with a skilled surgeon
Many patients have a chance of being awake during surgery.
“56.4% of patients (out of 400 questionnaires) were afraid of not waking up after surgery.”
– Saudi Journal of Anesthesia
Moreover, the patient does not want to wake up with pain at the surgical site. Bruising, bleeding, pain, and swelling can be reduced when epinephrine and gentle liposuction are used.
Although TLA is considered relatively safe, volume overload, toxicity, and hemorrhaging are just a few risks. However, these risks are considered to be minor and can be reduced with adequate training and skilled practice.
What are the Risks Associated with General Anesthesia?
There are benefits to general anesthesia for liposuction. Surgeons may consider general anesthesia for liposuction when their patients have anxiety about being awake during surgery, when the procedure may take longer than usual, or when they feel it is the safest option for their patient. Furthermore, sedation causes the muscles to fully relax, which may make it easier for the surgeon to perform liposuction.
That said, many surgeons and patients prefer TLA because of the risks associated with general anesthesia. As previously stated, the major risk with general anesthesia is death. Of the 281 deaths that anesthesia causes to a year, millions of surgeries are performed successfully. On the other hand, there are other unfavorable side effects of general anesthesia such as blood clots, nausea, and embolisms.
Patients who are older, obese, or have medical conditions are at the greatest risk of death and several other complications.The Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery reports:
Anesthesia related complications in plastic surgeries are rare but potentially catastrophic. Increased life expectancy has led to more susceptible to heat loss, impaired thermoregulation, and heat production as well as dehydration, and reduced renal and liver function, ultimately making them more susceptible to drug related toxicity. They are also more prone to cardiac and pulmonary complications. Meanwhile, the risks associated with liposuction on obese patients varies from mild to severe.
In addition, general anesthesia can interfere with long-term cognitive function especially in older patients.
Liposat® Power is the Latest in TLA Liposuction
Liposat® Power combines infiltration pump engineered specifically for TLA and the powerful vacuum unit Vacusat® power, when both devices are paired with Vibrasat® Pro , they create the ideal liposuction experience for both the surgeon and their client.
Contact us today; one of our representatives wants to discuss the next generation in liposuction.
