IV sedation or general anesthesia for liposuction 360 including arms?

PSs vary in their opinions regarding whether one type of anesthesia is better than another for liposuction.   I do not use local exclusively unless a small area of liposuction is planned.  If the procedure is performed with oral or IV sedation, there can be pain and awareness of the procedure.  I prefer general anesthesia so that patient absolutely has no awareness and feels no pain.  With the amount I liposuction and the results I try to achieve, I do not want to have anything prevent me from getting the best result.Inform you PS of your viral pericarditis so that he and your cardiologist can take steps to reduce your chance of having another acute episode.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA 

Most plastic surgeons prefer general anesthesia, especially
for larger surfaces. However, this can vary from surgeon to surgeon depending
on the area. It is best to consult with your plastic surgeon to discuss
alternative options for surgery.

Thank you for your question.Local anesthesia is an option for liposuction in small areas, due to the limitation on the amount of numbing medication you can receive.  If you wanted to do liposuction of your back, abdomen, and arms, you would likely need to stage the procedures into 2 or 3 sessions to avoid lidocaine toxicity.  This will extend your recovery time, as you can't recover all at once, but it would be your safest option if you really want to avoid general anesthesia.Best of luck,Dr. Kavali

Depending on the needs, medical condition of the patient, and the scope of the procedure, the patient, surgeon, and anesthesiologist can work together to identify the best possible type of anesthesia. As a patient, you would want to choose a center that is credentialed for all levels of anesthesia and that an MD Anesthesiologist will be providing the anesthesia.

I have performed liposuction under local, sedation, and general. It all depends upon the individual...

Without seeing pictures of your arm and/or examining you, it is not possible for me to opine whether your surgery could be done with local anesthesia using the tumescent technique and heavy sedation by vein. If your arms are not huge, I would have no problem doing your liposuction in my office without general anesthesia. However, if they are huge, I would do your liposuction in a local hospital with general anesthesia. 

This is a difficult question to respond to. From the generalized arena, most boarded Plastic Surgeons prefer general anesthesia/tumescence injections for larger surface areas of the body when doing liposuction. It offers the ability to do a more aggressive liposuction without the concern of patient discomfort, contamination of an unsettled, in pain patient. Also better monitoring of the fluids shifts can be determined under general anesthesia. And a to frequent finding is patients think MD providers using local anesthesia only in liposuction are boarded PSs, when this is usually not the case. To the most patient specific issue presented in the posting of viral pericarditis induced by general anesthesia, this seems very unusual or even doubtful;. In this case, I would require a preoperative cardiac/infectious disease written clearances before offering any type of surgery for this patient.