Is 4.5 hours too long for general anesthesia during Liposuction?

No it's not too long.  We provide serial compression devices to the calves to keep venous blood moving, and keep the patient as warm as possible with upper and lower body Bair huggers (warming blankets).  Procedures of this length or longer are commonly done in my practice.

Hello and thank you for your questions.

The amount of time spent in the operating room is dependent upon how much fat needs to be removed. Essentially, the more fat that is planned to be removed, the longer it will take. This is not an exact science. What you really want is the best outcome.

Given what you have listed, this may be OK in terms of times and treatment locations for you. However, as all surgeons you consider should say, it really depends on your consultation with your treating doctor. As you are in the healthcare profession, you understand the importance of a face-to-face consultation. You may have the right surgeon for you but you are nervous. 

What you are planning is important a big step for you beyond the financial factors. 

My best advice is that - you are normal person and nervous. Don't rely solely upon website advice for such an important step. You can review the link provided, which may provide you additional information. Review the photo gallery. Remember, getting another face-to-face consultation is not a bad thing to do. 

Sincerely,

This is a fairly typical amount of time for the procedures you mentioned. Since you're concerned, I recommend following up with your doctor if you are concerned.  Best, Dr. Emer

Some surgeons will take much longer than another surgeon.  In general, surgeries should be held to under 6 hours.

Your concerns are common.  You might consider asking for a regional anesthetic (epidural) to avoid exposure to an airway and inhalation agents.  We have used epidural anesthesia for over thirty years with a low complication rate and high patient satisfaction.  Most anesthesiologists who do obstetrical anesthesia are quite adept at this procedure

the length of time of general anesthesia as long as you are healthy should not be a concern. As long as you are having the procedure as an accredited facility, with a board certified plastic surgeon, and supervision from a board certified anesthesiologist everything should be fine for an elective surgery that is 4.5 hours. 

I usually treat this areas in a shorter period of time, but each surgeon is different.  Remember, the key is to get great results and be as efficient as possible, but do not push your surgeon to shorten his OR time if that is what he requires to achieve a nice result.

The risk of anesthesia time is of lesser concern to plastic surgeons working in an accredited facility than over loading the patient with fluid and excessive fat removal intraoperatively. If this is to be an outpatient procedure, your volume of aspirate shouldn't exceed 2 liters. If you are over this limit then monitoring of your fluid balance and electrolyte changes should take place overnight in proper facility. It sounds as though the areas you are planning to do will fit int the outpatient category though. Don't forget about 20 minutes is wasted waiting for the adrenaline effect of the tumescent solution to gain adequate effect before starting liposuction.

General anesthesia for outpatient procedures should not extend past 6 hours.  If a 4-5 hour procedure is planned you should be OK.  Please make sure your surgeon is Board Certified in Plastic Surgery and the anesthesia personal is also Board Certified in anesthesia.  The facility should be national accredited.  If any of above are not met, then I would look elsewhere for your procedure.

Thanks for your question. If you are in good health, you will likely do very well even with a general anesthetic of that duration. However, you might consider asking your surgeon if you can use alternative forms of anesthesia such as "MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care)," which is essentially monitored sedation. That decreases your risks of complications such as DVT, and may help speed your early recovery. Best wishes.