Safe Anesthesia Is Essential

Posted Friday, June 4, 2010 to INDUSTRY > Events

Posted by Richard Chaffoo, MD, FACS, FICS

Recent news (found in this article from Northwest Cable News) out of Bellevue, Washington tells the sad tale of a young woman who passed away after an overdose of anesthesia during a liposuction procedure. My San Diego patients and others in the area considering cosmetic surgery should know about this case and realize that safe administration of anesthesia is a matter of life and death – literally.

The Facts

The patient, a healthy 28-year-old woman, had liposuction on her abdomen, love handles, and upper arms. After the procedure, she went to a nearby hotel to recover and sadly passed away. The medical examiner found that the cause of death was "acute lidocaine intoxication."

Although lidocaine is very frequently used during liposuction to minimize pain, the practice that performed this young woman's procedure did something very wrong: they doubled the amount of lidocaine that should have used. This obvious mistake could easily have been avoided.

Prevention

This story emphasizes the importance of carefully assessing your surgeon's qualifications, the qualifications of the person who will be administering anesthesia, and the facilities where your procedure will be performed. A qualified surgeon, a qualified anesthesiologist, and safe facilities make all the difference. That doesn't just go for liposuction – or even plastic surgery in general – these things should be examined before ANY surgical procedure, no matter what the purpose.

Keep in mind that the chain of clinics that performed this young woman's procedure was already in hot water. They'd been in the news and were facing multiple complaints. Had the patient done more research, she might not have made the tragic decision to have her procedure with them.

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