liposuction risks, dangers, and unwanted effects

It is important to remember that liposuction is a surgical procedure and, as such, it is not risk free. The risks and complications of liposuction range from mild to potentially life threatening.
Complications & Risks

1. Infections after surgery.
2. Embolism.
3. Visceral Perforations (puncture wounds in the organs).
4. Seroma.
5. Nerve Compression and Changes in Sensation.
6. Swelling
7. Skin Necrosis (skin death).
8. Burns.
9. Fluid Imbalance.
10. Toxicity from Anesthesia.

• Fatalities Related to Liposuction. There are numerous reports of deaths related to the liposuction procedure. Although it is difficult to be sure how often death from liposuction happens, there are several studies that estimate how often patients undergoing liposuction die during the procedure or as a result of it. None of the studies is perfect so the results are just estimates. Some of the studies indicate that the risk of death due to liposuction is as low as 3 deaths for every 100,000 liposuction operations performed. However, other studies indicate that the risk of death is between 20 and 100 deaths per 100,000 liposuction procedures. One study suggests that the death rate is higher in liposuction surgeries in which other surgical procedures are also performed at the same time. In order to understand the size of the risk, one paper compares the deaths from liposuction to that for deaths from car accidents (16 per 100,000). It is important to remember that liposuction is a surgical procedure and that there may be serious complications, including death.

Source: US FDA/CDRH: Liposuction Information – Risks and Complications Associated with Liposuction

(source: www.reutershealth.com)

Patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery for obesity have higher breath-alcohol levels after drinking the same amount as other people — and it takes much longer for their levels to return to zero, the findings from a small study suggest.

“There are a few implications here. The overwhelming one being that patients need to be cautious using alcohol after they’ve had this surgery. One drink may be one too many,” senior author Dr.John Morton, from Stanford University in California, told Reuters Health. “In addition, by relaxing the intestine, alcohol can allow the patient to consume more food, which could wreak havoc on their weight maintenance.”

The findings, which were presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery in San Diego, are from a study of 19 patients who underwent gastric bypass 1 year earlier and 17 comparison subjects (controls), who were about the same weight as the patients post-surgery.

All of the subjects were given 5 ounces of red wine and instructed to consume the beverage within 15 minutes. Breath-alcohol levels then were measured every 5 minutes.

Seventy-seven percent of gastric bypass patients had a peak alcohol level of 0.08 percent, “which is considered legally intoxicated” in some states, Morton noted. By contrast, the peak level reached in the control group was 0.05 percent.

For the control subjects, it took 72 minutes for breath-alcohol levels to return to zero. In gastric bypass patients, on the other hand, 108 minutes were required.

Further studies are needed to better understand how gastric bypass surgery causes changes in alcohol metabolism, Morton said.

One possible mechanism involves alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme needed for the body to metabolize alcohol. Morton explained that this enzyme is present in the stomach, as well as in the liver.

Because the surgery bypasses much of the stomach, there is less enzyme available to breakdown the alcohol. “So, the alcohol just gets dumped into the small intestine, where it is readily absorbed.”