Anesthetic Wears off During VASER Liposelection Procedure

The anesthetic wore off during the VASER Liposelection procedure, so the doctor stopped using the suction due to pain. He only withdrew 600CC. Does this happen in most VASER Liposelection procedures?

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11 Doctor Answers | Asked by leer in London, England

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Anesthesia and Vaser

That is why I prefer doing liposuction under sedation as well. Eventhough anesthetic is injected into the subcutaneous tissue, there may still be sentivity in some areas that did not get adaequate infiltration. For both the patient's comfort and better more controlled results, I prefer sedation for my patients.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Why would an Anesthetic Wear Off during Liposuction

A true professional should not only know HOW to perform a job competently but also know WHICH TOOLS he would need to use to perform it EFFICIENTLY. A REAL Plastic surgeon can use Tumescent liposuction under: - Local anesthesia - Local anesthesia with sedation pills - Local anesthesia with intravenous sedation (Twilight) anesthesia when a person goes to a physician (non Plastic surgeon) who cannot go to a hospital or certified facility because of their training, he will be... more

The goal is to make you as comfortable as possible.

During any liposuction procedure, local anesthetic is injected with the tumescent solution. For minor liposuction cases, this is adequate. However, if you are having large volumes of liposuction, then deep sedation or general anesthesia is recommended. It sounds like your surgeon was just being safe - looking after your best interest - and terminated the surgery instead of endangering you with too much medication. I hope this is helpful.

No

It sounds like you had your procedure performed in an office setting under local, or your surgeon was otherwise limited in his ability to give you more medication. While small amounts of liposuction can often be successfully performed in these settings, true and significant sculpting of the body is fairly uncomfortable and for that reason I always recommend to my patients that we do this under anesthesia (either heavy sedation supervised by an anesthesiologist or general anesthesia). ... more

A cosmetic procedure should ideally be as pain free as possible -zero discomfort is impossible

It is the responsibility of your surgeon to provide as comfortable an experience as possible for your cosmetic procedure. His/Her judgement will determine the type of anesthesia that is appropriate. Your experience of pain during a procedure is unfortunate but not uncommon. It has nothing do to particularly with liposuction, liposelection or VASER. Rather, there was an insufficient level of anesthesia provided to keep you comfortable during your procedure, and perhaps to allow your... more

Anesthesia Wore Off

The short answer to your question is "no." The longer answer is "No, the anesthesia doesn't wear off in most cosmetic procedures if the physician is (A) skilled and (B) experienced because he or she has done the procedure numerous times and knows how much anesthesia is likely to be required. I have to wonder who you hired to perform this procedure and I must say that I suspect it might be a physician who hasn't performed enough of them to know better. I can only hope the physical outcome... more

Pain during liposuction

Each individuals reaction, tolerance and metabolism of the oral sedation and local anesthetic is somewhat unpredictable and that is why the best approach to large volume or large area liposuction is to have the procedure performed in an accredited facility under IV sedation and monitoring. safety and comfort are paramount to achieving the optimal cosmetic result. Also, VASER settings have a great deal to do with how much thermal energy is being transferred to the treatment area and the... more

Wide awake liposuction not always comfortable

Having liposuction performed while you are wide awake requires a delicate balance between pain control, comfort and safety. I don't think that you should have large areas treated unless your surgeon has someone to administer sedation and pain control. Small areas can be treated under local, but it is asking a lot of the patient to lie still for extended lengths of time while multiple areas are being treated.. Have a frank discussion with your surgeon. These days,... more

Plan well

That you experienced pain during your procedure has little to do with Vaser and allot to do with your doctor not planning the operation well. If they omitted areas that you felt were to be treated, you have a legitimate gripe. Perhaps you should consult with someone who has more experience and knowledge.

Anesthesia with VASER

The anesthesia wearing off during the VASER procedure is possible. I have found a few patients who metabolize the local anesthesia very quickly, so that they are initially comfortable, but then begin to feel pain. Usually, adding more local anesthesia will alleviate the pain if it wears off. Using oral sedatives like Valium and Xanax also helps to calm the patient. I usually ask the patient at their initial consultation how they do with anesthesia at the dentists... more

Many variables at work

There are so many variables at work here that you cannot give a simple answer. 1. Every patient's pain tolerence is different. 2. If the VASER energy level is high, it hurts more. 3. The amount of local and its concentration is a factor. 4. The location on the body is a factor. Some areas have more sensetivity than others. 600 cc is not bad for a local anesthesia procedure with the VASER.