What is the mortality rate for liposuction under general anesthesia?

Question

When done by a board surgeon. I am having about 2.5 litres removed from abdomen and flanks in a hospital setting under general anesthesia

Emmanuel De La Cruz, MD · Answer

The mortality rate for liposuction, as with any surgical procedure, can be influenced by various factors, including the patient's overall health, the experience of the surgeon, the surgical facility, and the choice of anesthesia. Liposuction is generally considered a safe cosmetic procedure when performed by a qualified and experienced surgeon in an accredited facility.

That being said, liposuction performed under general anesthesia, like any surgery, carries inherent risks. The mortality rate is typically low, but complications can arise. Complications may include infection, excessive bleeding, adverse reactions to anesthesia, blood clots, and other surgical risks.

It's important to emphasize that the mortality rate for liposuction is generally low, and serious complications are rare when the procedure is performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon or a qualified medical professional in a safe and accredited surgical facility. Additionally, patient selection, thorough pre-operative evaluation, and adherence to safety protocols contribute to minimizing risks.

If you are considering liposuction or any other cosmetic procedure, it's crucial to have a comprehensive consultation with a qualified and experienced surgeon. During the consultation, your surgeon will assess your medical history, discuss the potential risks and benefits, and provide personalized recommendations based on your individual circumstances.

Always choose a board-certified plastic surgeon or a qualified medical professional, and ensure that the surgical facility is accredited. Follow all pre-operative and post-operative instructions provided by your surgeon to optimize safety and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Semih Yildiz, MD, FEPOBRAS · Answer

For a healthy patient, 2.5 liters of liposuction from the abdomen and flanks in a hospital setting with a qualified surgeon and anesthesia team is generally considered a relatively controlled-volume procedure. The mortality risk is low, but it is never zero with any operation under general anesthesia.

The risk depends less on one number and more on the full safety profile: your medical history, BMI, smoking or vaping, clotting history, medications, anemia, procedure length, fluid management, and whether other procedures are being combined. The most serious rare risks include blood clots, fat embolism, bleeding, anesthesia complications, infection, and fluid shifts.

The safest setup is an accredited hospital or surgical facility, a properly trained anesthesia provider, appropriate preoperative testing, clear DVT/clot-prevention planning, and avoidance of excessive liposuction volume or overly long combined surgery. Early walking after surgery and following garment and medication instructions also matter.

Ask your surgeon and anesthesiologist directly how they assess your individual risk, what clot-prevention protocol they use, and what emergency support is available. If your labs, clearance, and health history are all appropriate, the risk is usually very low, but the final decision should be based on your personal risk profile rather than a general statistic.

Matthew Schulman, MD · Answer

While you mention some key things like "a board surgeon. I am having about 2.5 litres removed from abdomen and flanks in a hospital setting under general anesthesia", you a re missing some requirements - your overall health.  Assuming you are 100% healthy and medically cleared, and the other things are also true, you should expect the mortality rate to be very very low, around 1:50,000.

John L. Burns Jr., MD · Answer

It seems like you are taking a safe approach.  2.5 liters is a safe amount and the hospital setting allows for proper monitoring.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

The mortality rate is lower than driving to the hospital to have surgery done. The risk for both liposuction and general anesthesia is low in healthy people, and even together, is under 1%. For general anesthesia is 1 per 100,000 and for liposuction is 19 per 100,000.  The risks increase in those with medical issues and obesity and smoking.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

When considering the safety of a procedure there are numerous factors that determine risk.  Most of these can be influenced by you.  First, select an experienced board certified plastic surgeon with whom you are comfortable and confident.  Second have your procedure performed in an accredited facility.  To receive this status a facility must meet rigid standards with surveyor visits at regular intervals.  Third is to make sure that you are a candidate for the procedure.  Your medical history should be reviewed.  Your medications and supplements should be discussed.  Do you use nicotine or THC?  Are you at a healthy weight? Is the amount of fat being removed in a safe range? Fourth is to closely follow your surgeon's post operative instructions including activites, follow up visits, and medications.  Know "red flag" signs and what to do if they occur.  If you have followed this list you can keep your risk from this surgery low.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

I believe the general overall mortality rate for Liposuction is currently estimated at about one and 50,000. To put that in reference the mortality rate for an average driver driving an automobile for a year is a bad one and 10,000.
The chance of dying from liposuction is quite small. That said the chance of having Aesthetic, poor outcomes including disfigurement is much much higher.
I would say the majority of Liposuction being done, including work done by board-certified plastic surgeons with overall good reputation is still fairly far behind what can be accomplished in the hands of someone who has truly mastered the procedure.
Liposuction results seem to have more variation, depending on who does the procedure then just about any other plastic surgery operation.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of provider selection for both minimizing disfigurement, but also maximizing overall safety.
These are some general recommendations for finding the best provider.
To find the best provider, I suggest patient schedule multiple in person consultations with experienced plastic surgeons in their community. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures of previous patients who have similar body or facial characteristics to your own. An experienced plastic surgeon should have no difficulty showing you the before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients. An experienced provider should in fact have hundreds or preferably thousands of before and after pictures to choose from for commonly performed procedures. 
Being shown a handful of preselected images, representing the best results of a provider’s career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results will look like in the hands of each provider.
There is no correct number of consultations needed to find the best provider. The more consultations you scheduled the more likely you are to find the best provider for your needs. 
Take careful notes during each consultation, especially regarding the quantity and quality of before and after pictures. It’s not a bad idea to bring pictures of your own body/face to use as reference when reviewing before and after pictures. 
The biggest mistake patients make is scheduling only one consultation without properly vetting or comparing providers before scheduling surgery.
I Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD

What is the mortality rate for liposuction under general anesthesia?

Answers (7)

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