Richard Baxter, MD

A lttle history: when lipo was first introduced about 30 years ago, it was done without any tumescent type of infusion and so only small volumes could be done without too much blood loss. By adding infusion (whether wide awake, with sedation, or under general) the blood loss is much less and so larger volumes of fat could be removed. In the 1990's there was a report citing the figure you mentioned. As a result of what appeared to be an escalating incidence of serious complications, a task force was put together and they determined that the cause was often doing too much at one time. They then recommended that no more than 5000 cc's be removed as an outpatient, and the operation has become much safer now. My concern however, is that some are starting to push the limits again and we may see more problems. So the procedure should be done in an accredited facility, by an experienced surgeon, and know the limits.