Tumescent liposuction is a technique that provides local anesthesia to large volumes of subcutaneous fat and thus permits liposuction.
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Technique
The tumescent technique for liposuction provides for local anesthesia via lidocaine, eliminating the need for the administration of sedatives or narcotics during surgery.
Risks
A 2011 review said tumescent liposuction was safe. Deaths were reported in 1999; as of 2002, 23 deaths in five years had been reported in the European literature. Tierney et al (2011) said, "The most frequent complications were bacterial infections such as necrotizing fasciitis, gas gangrene, and different forms of sepsis. Further causes of lethal outcome were hemorrhages, perforation of abdominal viscera, and pulmonary embolism."
In many U.S. states, physicians are not required to have training to perform this cosmetic surgery procedure.
History
Jeffrey Klein and Patrick Lillis, dermatologic surgeons, invented the tumescent technique.