Although more information is needed than was provided from your question, there are a few reasons that a patient can have a high rate called tachycardia during SmartLipo. The most common reason is simple anxiety but a rate of 160 is unlikely due to that. More commonly, a patient may have a sensitivity to one or more of the medications used during the procedure, especially epinephrine which is part of the tumescent solution injected into the fat space. Epinephrine is used to cause vasoconstriction where the small and medium blood vessels decrease in caliber to reduce bruising and bleeding. Some of the epinephrine is absorbed into the systemic circulation and may cause the heart to beat more quickly as a side effect. This can happen if the patient has an underlying sensitivity to the medication, is taking other meds which may cause the fast rate in addition to the epinephrine or have some disorder that warrants further investigation. The surgeon must make sure the patient is safe before proceeding and should address the situation. If the patient is having symptoms like shortness of breath or chest pain, he or she must be seen by the appropriate medical personnel immediately. Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence and usually resolve itself without symptoms. At any rate, the patient needs to have cardiac evaluation to rule out any previously unknown issues at the appropriate time.
