Increased Chance of Heart Attack Possible After Liposuction?

Fortunately, there is no increase in heart attack risk of heart attack after liposuction. This should not effect the levels of fat in your bloodstream. In fact there is some preliminary data that indicates just the opposite may occur with reduction in pre-diabetic indicators caused by being overweight.

On the other hand, if you overeat following liposuction you will store fat as you did before. This weight gain can lead to pre-diabetic increases in blood pressure, triglycerides and VLDL(very low density lipoproteins) all of which increase your risk of heart disease and eventually to Diabetes (a very big risk factor for a multitude of diseases). This is not related to the liposuction but rather weight gain

Most of my patients who have liposuction are motivated by their new appearance to watch their diet closely and they don't often gain weight afterwards. More often, they describe they are less hungary and tend to reduce their weight moderately. This makes the overall result that much better.

There is no direct correlation between the two. You must keep in mind that the patient has to be healthy and in good shape before undergoing any cosmetic procedure, whether it is liposuction, rhinoplasty or breast augmentation. A heart attack can happen at any time during any procedure while the patient is under general anesthesia.
Hope that answers your question.

This is a very interesting question, but I'm not aware of the risk of heart attacks being any higher after liposuction. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are key in preventing heart attacks both before and after any cosmetic procedures, including liposuction. If you gain weight after liposuction, the excess fat will most likely be deposited in the hips, buttock, and abdominal regions. Eating this excess fat may increase your cholesterol which may, in turn, lead to an increased risk of a heart attack. So, follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly and you should be okay afer liposuction.

No one, to my knowledge, has ever performed this study. There is one study that did show the opposite (indirectly). Diabetics who had liposuction and reduced their body fat demonstrated less insulin resistance. Complications of diabetes include caridovascular disease. However, this does not mean that liposuction should be used to treat diabetes.

Liposuction as any procedure has its risks. If you are in good medical condition you will do fine with this procedure. There are things to consider such as using an experienced surgeon familiar with anatomy of the area as well a lidocaine dosage.
Fat circulating in our blood stream will be metabolized, those areas that have been liposuctioned have no bearing on fat metabolism.

I fyou are asking is there an association of this procedure more than others in terms of heart attack risk, I would say that I have not seen any published reports to suggest this. For the appropriate patients, I have them get medical clearance.

Hansi,
The risk of heart attack is present with any surgery. It is primarily due to the stress that is place on the heart by stress hormones that are produced and fluid shifts that occur from surgery, not due to fat in the bloodstream. For this reason, most elective, cosmetic surgery procedures are reserved for healthy individuals. Good luck!

There are cardiac toxicity concerns with the use of lidocaine and epinephrine as both can effect the heart at certain blood levels but a good surgeon and anesthesiologist should monitor the dosages and prevent this from occuring.
There are also rare cases of fat embolism due to fat cells entering the blood stream but this is an acute complication, not a chronic risk.

Liposuction causes some stress to the functions of the body as it heals and gets back to normal. There is a fluid challenge to the circulatory system with liposuction and if your heart is weak it could cause a heart attack. This is highly unlikely unless your heart has a significant amount of disease already. The fat that may circulate during or right after the procedure is very small and would not cause a heart attack.
When you have a consultation with your surgeon make sure he or she has considered your health status and your fitness for the procedure.
Best Wishes
Dr. Peterson

You seem to be asking if removing fat cells which can act as storage for fat increases the risk of heart attack. If this is what you are asking, the answer is no. The risk of heart attack is determined by what you eat. Even with fewer cells to store fat from the diet, the body will store whatever you ingest. There is, however, an increased risk of heart attack or other problem of vascular collapse associated with liposuction. This has to do with how the procedure is done. Lidocaine (an anesthetic) and epinephrine are injected into the area of liposuction during the procedure. Both are toxic to the heart in significant doses. The body also tries to replace the fat that is removed with fluid. This fluid comes from the blood. If one removes enough fat without replacing the fluid the body shifts into the operative area, you can go into shock and, even, die. This is why it is important to make sure your surgeon has privileges at a reputable hospital to do liposuction, even the procedure is done in the office. It is also much safer to have an anesthesiologist monitoring you. If you are to have more than about 4000 cc (and, absolutely, at 5000 cc) removed, you need to stay in the hospital overnight to be monitored. With care, however, liposuction is very safe. Although studies a number of years ago showed a death rate of 1 in 5000 cases (a very high rate), subsequent studies showed the procedure, when done in a hospital with an anesthesiologist and using other precautions, was no more risky than a hernia operation.