How likely am I to die during breast augmentation surgery?

Question

I am a 28 year old mother of two. In two days I am having surgery and I am terrified of dying during this operation. I was ok until very recently and now the thought of leaving my children behind is keeping me awake at night. I am in good shape with no serious medical conditions, although I have Castlemans Disease and have had gestational diabetes. My surgery is being performed by an experienced plastic surgeon (not cosmetic) in Australia and my anaethetist is meant to be very experienced too.

John Mesa, MD · Answer

Patients with questions and concerns about life threatening risks of elective cosmetic plastic surgery like breast augmentation should address these questions with both the plastic surgeon performing the procedure and the anesthesiologist providing the anesthesia services BEFORE surgery.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

If you are young and healthy it would be extremely rare for you to die during surgery.  It sounds as though you've done your homework in selecting a physician and have even learned about your anesthesiologist.  Each physician will go through your medical history and take all precautions to keep your risk as low as possible.

Derby Sang Caputo, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. When all the necessary checks are made before a surgery the risk of this happening is very minimal. All surgeries supose a risk but be sure to go with a certificated PS.

Naveen Somia, MBBS, PhD, FRACS · Answer

If you are young and healthy, it is unlikely.However, your medical history and anaesthetic risk is something you should discuss with your Anaesthetist and Surgeon.Best

Kirsty Boyd, MD, FRCSC · Answer

This is a question that patient's often ask, likely because of all of the exposure and publicity when celebrities die of complications due to surgery.  The reality is that it would be EXTREMELY unlikely for an otherwise healthy, young patient to die during breast augmentation. Death following any elective surgery is unusual, especially in a procedure like breast augmentation, where the surgical time is short, the area of surgery is small, and we aren't working around any major organs.  The risk of death is slightly higher in the bigger cosmetic surgeries such as liposuction, belt lipectomy, and combined procedures, but is still very very low.That said, as surgeons, we are required to review all potential risks of surgery with you.  That includes common but minor complications (infection, bleeding, scarring, wound healing etc) and rare but major complications (death, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus etc).  Hopefully your surgeon addressed these with you prior to surgery. I think the chances of being home with your children several hours after surgery is extremely high.  Good luck!

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Anxiety prior to surgery is very normal; its complete elimination is usually not possible. Assuming you have chosen your plastic surgeon carefully, other important "variables" such as anesthesia provider and surgery facility will be selected based on everyone's first priority: safety. This careful selection should give you some peace of mind that you will be safe around the time of surgery. Discuss your specific areas of concerns with your plastic surgeon who will be in the best position to help you calm your nerves.  I ask my patients to try to be as calm as possible prior to surgery; this “calmness" tends to translate to a smoother postoperative course. You may be able to alleviate some pre operative anxiety with music, exercise, meditation, a glass of wine (if ok with your surgeon), sexual activity (be careful...), and positive/objective focus on the long term outcome/benefits etc. prior to your procedure. I remind my patients that they will be safer during the time of the breast augmentation procedure than that would be driving on the freeway.
Generally, patients find that they did “get worked up for nothing” after their recovery is completed.
I hope this helps.

How likely am I to die during breast augmentation surgery?

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