How Often Do People Die During Tummy Tuck Procedures?

Death is an exceedingly rare complication after tummy tuck. The most commonly feared reason for death after abdominoplasty is pulmonary embolism after deep venous thrombosis (DVT). In layman's terms, a blood clot originating from the lungs can break off and go to the lungs. The best way to treat this complication is through prevention. Early walking after surgery is important and, if your doctor identifies you as high risk, you may need blood thinners during the initial postoperative period to minimize your risk.

It's hard to know how mahy inches you will lose from around your waist. The best possible results from surgery come from patient's who are close to their ideal body weight.

Best of luck - Sam Jejurikar, MD

 

Like with any operations, complications can occur during and after tummy tuck surgery. Some complications are life-threatening, but these problems are exceedingly rare. Some of these complications include pulmonary embolism (blood clot to lungs), bowel perforation, infection, and wound healing problems. Seek out of a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. 

Abdominoplasty or Tummy Tuck is a very safe procedure when performed by qualified and board certified plastic surgeons in accrediated facilities with proper pre- and post-op care.  Prior to your surgery, your surgeon should evaluate your health and order any tests, studies or consultations that are necessary to ensure that you are healthy for surgery.

 

Good Luck 

THe incidence in many studies is  much less than 0.5% .  Smoking, birthcontrol pills and your movement after surgery all affect these variables.  It is important you realize that MANY people gain weight after tummy tucks . It is natural to feel better in clothes, however this is not a green light to chow down!

Your PT exams for the military depend alot on inches. See a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and get familair with him or her or even better tour a few doctors!

 

Good luck!

Risk of dying from a tummy tuck is extremely small if the procedure is performed by a properly qualifed, board certified plastic surgeon.   While you can never have a 100% guarantee of not dying when doing absolutely anything, you many times more likely to die from an Army accident than from a tummy tuck.

With regards to your results, you should discuss your surgery and expected outcome with a board certified Plastic Surgeon to ensure you understand what to expect and that your expectations are realistic.

 

Sincerely,

Martin Jugenburg, MD

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.

The risk of dying from a tummy tuck operation when performed by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in an accredited surgical facility is exceptionally small. All surgery carries risks, with patient co-morbidities being a large part of these risks. DVT and pulmonary embolism are of particular concern. As for results, this cannot be determined from 3 photos on an internet website. You need to see a plastic surgeon for a consultation. If you are planning on losing any weight, do this several months before your surgery! This way your results will be more predictable and longer lasting. It is rare for a patient to have a tummy tuck and afterwards feel as though no surgery was performed.

The risk from dying from a tummy tuck is very low when performed by a well trained plastic surgeon in an accredited surgical facility with proper anesthesia; otherwise, the risks can be significantly elevated. There are many considerations that play a role in risk and those can be discussed by a board certified plastic surgeon.

Whether or not you are a good candidate for a tummy tuck can't be fully ascertained by your photos. A physical examination will be needed to determine what would be the prudent course of action.

Death from a tummy tuck is an exceedingly rare complication if you are young and in  good health. The best way to minimize the risk of complications is to see a board certified plastic surgeon and have surgery in a certified surgery center with a board certified anesthesiologist putting you to sleep. Make sure you ask you surgeon about all the risks, especially blood clots in the legs (DVT) which can be a potenitially fatal complication. As for the outcome, it is impossible to predict, but ask to see pictures of patients before and after surgery so you can gain some idea of your surgeon's results. All in all it is a very worthwhile procedure which is safe to have as long as you do your due diligence.

Good Luck

True, death is a possible risk after a tummy tuck, though fortunately is a very rare one. Often when we hear of such events they are often related to multiple procedures at the same time, or existing health conditions that were not appreciated or respected at the time of the tummy tuck. Choose your surgeon and facility carefully.
Best of luck,
peterejohnsonmd