Why Are Some Surgeons Hesitant to Combine Multiple Procedures?

asked 3 years ago by Suzy in Chicago in Chicago
Latest answer by Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Question viewed 499 times

Why is it that some plastic surgeons won't do multiple procedures at a time?

I wanted to combine procedures to reduce time off of work, with one recovery period. It is not a case of anesthesia time. With a tummy tuck and breast lift, the surgical time would have been under 5 hours.

6 answers to Why Are Some Surgeons Hesitant to Combine Multiple Procedures?

Multiple Procedures, Different Answers

Our practice very much is based on patients being well informed and in many cases that means seeing other doctors, getting other opinions and then making a decision the patient is comfortable with. No one surgeon is going to be the right choice for every patient, so it's up to you to find a surgeon, a practice, a staff that you're comfortable with, and that would include making a determination on whether multiple procedures should be combined into one case. We routinely combine procedures... more

H. Steve Byrd, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Difficult to say...

Hi there- It is very difficult, if not impossible to guess what your surgeon may have been thinking or was concerned about when he/she advised against combining the procedures. It may be that you have a medical condition that would increase your risks with longer procedures, or that he/she thought the technique planned for one procedure may compromise his/her ability to successfully achieve your goals for the second area of concern. We all have our individual levels of comfort with what we... more

Armando Soto, MD
Orlando Plastic Surgeon

Reasons Why Some Surgeons Hesitant to Combine Procedures

There are many factors that go into a decision as to whether to combine or stage separate surgeries including length of time of the surgeries and anesthesia, but also on the comfort level of the surgeon which at times is based on their training. For example although I most often combine a tummy tuck with a breast lift in a single surgical procedure there are safeguards that I use. For example, I use a surgical assistant to help with the final skin closure which saves significant... more

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Multiple procedures at once lengthens surgery time

Trying to do a breast lift and a tummy tuck in five hours will in many cases be inadequate in my opinion. There will likely be things to fix later unless you are really a small case in both categories. It is the amount of surgery to be performed that determines the operative time. Much of this is a matter of style and opinion of course. Best Regards.

John P. Di Saia, MD
Orange Plastic Surgeon

Multiple procedures

It is common for surgeons to perform multiple procedures at the same time provided that it is safe for the patient. If the patient has medical conditions that preclude this, then they are staged. If the surgery is going to take too long, then they are staged. These are just some of the reasons.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Mutiple Procedures at once

First, it is important that you are a good candidate for each of the procedures that you want. You must understand the expected results and the complications that ae possible. Second, your surgeon needs to evaluate your overall health issues. Third, your surgeon has to be comfortable with the likelihood you will get good results and a reasonable and safe recovery for the combination that you have choosen. Fourth, I try to limit cobined procedures to a total of 6 hours. And last -- get a... more

Richard Greco, MD
Savannah Plastic Surgeon

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