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What Are Ways to Help Prevent Fat Embolisms During Lipo/Fat Grafting?

asked 8 months ago by Curious4
Latest answer by Thomas Fiala, MD
Question viewed 137 times
Tags: embolism

What are ways to help prevent the occurrence of fat embolisms during lipo/fat grafting?

4 answers to What Are Ways to Help Prevent Fat Embolisms During Lipo/Fat Grafting?

+2

Avoiding fat embolism with a fat graft.

1. Only use blunt tipped cannulas. 2. Don't inject fat under high pressure. 3. Inject while withdrawing the syringe. 4. Inject micro-droplets at a time. Recently, some companies are pushing the idea of using intra-operative ultrasound to look for vessels in the operative area, so that you can avoid unintended cannulation of the vessel. All the best,
Thomas Fiala, MD

Altamonte Springs Plastic Surgeon
+2

Safe Technique For Fat Injection

Three technical approaches minimize the risk of fat embolus during a fat transfer. The first is that the fat should only be placed in tiny droplets. This is required for new blood vessels to grow into the transplanted fat but also prevents a very large bolus from being injected into a vessel. The second technical consideration is that the fat is injected ONLY when the cannula is being withdrawn. This minimzes the risk of vessel puncture. The third technical detail is, as Dr. Baxter... more
Mary Lee Peters, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

www.maryleepetersmd.com

+2

Fat embolism risk with fat injection

Unfortunately all procedures carry some risks. I believe that there have been some recent deaths reported down in Columbia. These women were seeking buttock augmentation with mega fat grafting. The exact incidents are being investigated. Early reports support fat embolism as a common culprit. This issue was addressed yesterday at a national meeting in Chicago. Most experts feel that proper surgical technique is essential to safe fat grafting. There is probably a greater risk of fat... more
Craig Harrison, MD

Tyler Plastic Surgeon
+2

Fat grafting techniques are safe with good technique

The risk of fat embolism, which is what would happen if a piece of fat was injected into a blood vessel, is very low. Modern techniques use blunt-tipped instruments so they won't cut blood vessels. Fat grafting is becoming more frequently done now and with more predictable results.
Richard Baxter, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

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