Can you die from a Tummy Tuck and Breast Lift?

Thank you for the question. It is a legitimate concern. As a board-certified plastic surgeon luckily I have never had a death in 20 years of doing mommy makeovers. Although extremely rare, I do, unfortunately, know of a couple of very sad cases in the community. My success is multi-factorial.1. Patient selection is key to safety. I never recommend a long mommy makeover for any patient who has medical problems. We do preoperative labs including nutritional parameters to increase the likelihood of success and often involve their primary care provider in determining the patients' suitability for a longer surgery.2. Prevention of blood clots is key. I use TED hose compression stockings and SCD leg squeezers during surgery AND we send the patients home with them for one week. Most will also receive Lovenox blood thinning shots for 5 days after surgery, then take an aspirin a day thereafter for another week or so. Early ambulation and incentive spirometry add additional safety and benefits as well. I also send my patients home with a pulse oximeter which measures their oxygen saturation so we know at any moment what their heart rate and oxygen saturation is.3. Limiting the total volume of liposuction to 5-6 liters is very important to minimize fluid shifts.4. Education about the risks of narcotics is also key to safetyGood luck!

I think that in healthy patients, tummy tuck and breast lift can be performed together safely.   Find an expert
in all of these procedures who has great before and after pictures and
great reviews.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Yes you can die, you can die from any surgery.  You can die driving home from work today but the odds are defiantly in your favor.  Once you have all the information on these procedures like anesthesia time , recovery time, and surgical time asleep, I believe you will feel better.  It is evident that your anxiety of the surgery needs some attention.  Education will help with that.  Before you have surgery though,, you must be 100% confident in the surgeon and the facility and the staff in the OR.  Nurses, techs etc..  Find the perfect board certified physician that fits all of your needs and you will feel so comfortable with your decision.Sincerely;Dr. Lane F. .Smith

Thank you for the question. The best published data I can find regarding mortality rates associated with tummy tuck surgery range from 0.02% to 0.16%.   In other words, mortality rates are extremely low. The most common cause of that is related to pulmonary embolism (blood clots that moved to the patient's lungs).

Your best bet: choose your plastic surgeon very carefully; everything else including good judgment/advice/planning, anesthesia provider and safe surgery facility will follow. 

This careful selection should give you some peace of mind that you will be safe around the time of surgery. 

Best wishes.

23 Deaths in 1,141,418 plastic surgery procedures.Only 1 death from surgery itself.You are 11 times more likely to die in your car than during surgery.Most importantly, if you have any risk factors, these issues should be adequately evaluated prior to any surgery.

An article published in the Journal of plastic and reconstructive surgery published in July 2008 reviewed outpatient surgical procedures performed between January 2001 through June 2006. Of the 1,141,418 outpatient procedures performed there were 23 deaths. 13 of the 23 where the result of pulmonary embolism. In order to reduce the risk of a pulmonary embolism many surgeons use al protocol to assess the risk for a blood clot and possible pulmonary embolism. If patients score high enough in this assessment they are placed on blood thinners after surgery to help protect them from a blood clot and possible pulmonary embolism. Only 1 death occurred as a result of something that happened during the course of the procedure. This was reported to be a result of the intravenous anesthesia administered by the surgeon performing the operation.. The American Society of plastic surgeons estimates that there is 1 death in every 57,000 plastic surgical procedures. This can be contrasted to the 1 in 5000 chance of dying in a motor vehicle accident during a one year period of time in the United States of America.  Risk of complications begins to increase after 4 hours of surgery.  It  combination of procedures can be performed in 4 hours or less When considering plastic surgery it is very important to consult a surgeon board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and make sure your procedure will be performed in a properly certified facility. It is also ideal to have your anesthesia administered by a board certified anesthesiologist.

The answer is yes.  The most common cause involves blood clots developing in the legs/pelvis,which can migrate to the lungs (pulmonary embolism).  This can occur even without having surgery.Several things can help to reduce your risk.  These include avoidance of certain hormone therapies,early ambulation after surgery, and adequate fluid intake to avoid dehydration.  In some cases, anti-coagulant medications may be recommended.  

Yes you can die from surgery. Often it is due to blood clots in your legs or lungs. You should have an open conversation about the risk of blood clots with your doctor to determine your risk factors. This may help the doctor to determine whether you may need any blood thinners around the time of surgery. Unfortunately there are no set rules about giving blood thinners in plastic surgery patients, but you should still talk to your board certified plastic surgeon. Overall, surgery is very safe and it's rare to have a major complication like that.

If you are in good health, it is probably safer for you to have surgery then it is to drive to the oval grocery storeDr Corbin

Doing a tummy tuck and breast surgery at the same time is very safe and commonly done. In my practice it is usually mothers of young children that are overly anxious about worst case scenarios. If you are in good general health (non smoker, BMI under 30, not diabetic) there is minimal risk for complication. A consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon will help you understand whether this is a good choice for you. Good luck.