How to Prevent Blood Clots During Smart Lipo or Vaser Lipo?

Hi there-

The prevention of blood clot formation after surgery can be divided into things your surgeon, nurse, and anesthesiologist should do, and things you can do.

The best and simplest way to be sure everything is being done to maximize your safety is to be sure the procedure is being performed by a surgeon certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery (there are many "boards"- be sure you check!), and that the procedure will be performed in a facility accredited by a national organization such as the American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities (AAAASF). These regulatory bodies require frequent inspections of the facility's safety procedures, protocols, and equipment, as well as the staff's training in their use and implementation. In other words, ask about your surgeon's credentials, those of the facility where the procedure will be performed, and also those of the anesthesiologist.

Most people I meet do realize they should ask a lot of questions about the surgeon they choose, but most don't realize that the quality (or lack thereof) of the facility and the anesthesiologist are almost as important to minimizing risks and maximizing safety.

Be your own best advocate-

Thank you for the question. The risk of deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism associated with plastic surgical procedures is small, but real. Your surgeon will obtain a careful personal and family history ( and sometimes additional bloodwork if necessary) to ascertain your risk factors and determine the best “prophylaxis”. Avoidance of nicotine products and/or estrogen related products may be indicated.
Choosing your plastic surgeon carefully is important. Having the procedure performed in a fully accredited surgical facility is also important.  Routine measures such as compression stockings and early adulation are some of the measures taken. Some patients benefit from use of “blood thinners” around the time of surgery as well.
Again, your plastic surgeon will be able to ascertain your own personal risk “profile” when it comes to potential deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism.  It is probable that once you have had this communication with your plastic surgeon, your anxiety level will decrease.
Best wishes.

Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) = blood clot formation in our DEEP (pelvis, legs) veins
Pulmonary Embolus (PE) = blood clot(s) which became dislodged and travel led to the lungs
Unfortunately, NEITHER DVT nor PE's can be prevented BUT their likelihood can be greatly lowered and minimized.
DVT is more common in women than in men; more in obese than in thin, more in any surgery lasting over 3 hours, more in people who do not walk immediately after surgery, much more with surgery of the tummy, pelvis and long bones, more in women taking Estrogen therapy or birth control pills and it is extremely common in smokers.
I would strongly advise you to stop all birth control pills (use another contraceptive method) and estrogen replacement therapy a few weeks before surgery, stop smoking at least a month before and after surgery, walk immediately after surgery (even a few steps around your Lazy Boy chair every time a TV commercial is on will do) and have your surgeon use intraoperative compression boots (he/she will know...). Finally, in some patients we may have to use blood thinning medications starting just after surgery to lower this risk.
Good luck.

DVT is a very serious complication of surgery, but fortunately very uncommon. This can happen to almost anyone at anytime.  Higher risks include, long procedures, overweight, not using prophylaxis, oral birth control, smoking, to name a few. 

The first thing the surgeon should consider is the history. Dies the patient have a history of blood clots, family history of blood clot, history of cancer?
Next is the patient obese, have varicose veins?
Will the procedure belonger than an hour, what type of anesthesia?
All these factors will determine the risk to the patient. Depending on the risk level the patient may be advised simply to get moving as soon as possible, use special stockings during and after the surgery, use sequential compression devices during and possible after the surgery, use a blood thinner before and/or after the surgery or ultimately don't do the surgery because the risk is too high.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a dangerous complication of surgery because the clots can possibly dislodge and travel to the lungs and be fatal.

There are well studied risk factors such as obesity, age over 40, prolonged surgery, inadequate mobilization after surgery, hormone therapy, smoking, and a previous history of DVT.

If you keep the surgery to an appropriate length, have it done by an excellent plastic surgeon, use compresion stockings and pumps beofre the surgery starts, comply with early ambulation, and stop hormone therapy such as BCP's the risks should be minimized. Make sure your doctor makes a proper assessment of your own personal specific risk before proceeding.