Assessment of correlation between time period and risk of fat embolism after liposuction: Animal model.

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Assessment of correlation between time period and risk of fat embolism after liposuction: Animal model.

Arch Plast Surg. 2017 Oct 27;:

Authors: Lim KR, Cho JM, Yoon CM, Lee KC, Lee SY, Ju MH

Abstract
Background: Liposuction has become one of the most frequently performed operation among the aesthetic surgical field recently. Fat embolism syndrome after liposuction is overlooked or underestimated easily. Occasionally, fulminating fat embolism syndrome could be developed and lead to critical situation within 2-3 days after lipoplasty. Time period changes in amount of circulating fat particle and histology of major organs are not studied yet.
Methods: This study was conducted using 18 male Sprague Dawley rats aged 12weeks and weighing 500-628g (562g on average). Fifteen rats were used as experimental group and three as a control group. Under general anesthesia, tumescent technique liposuction was performed at the lateral flank areas and abdomen for 1 hour. Blood, lung and brain tissue specimens were obtained at 1hr, 1 day and 2 days after liposuction procedure.
Results: The average number of fat particle in the blood specimen was 25,960/dl for the 1 hour group, 111,100/dl for the 24 hour group and 21,780/dl for the 48 hour group. The differences between study groups were significant statistically. Both intra and extravascular fat particles with inflammation were seen in all 15 rats, as were inflammatory cell infiltration, hemorrhage and consolidation with shrinkage of the lung alveoli.
Conclusions: These results imply that strong possibility of fat embolism syndrome after liposuction in real clinical practice and the first 24-48 hours after operation was found to be the most important for prevention of pulmonary embolism and progression to fulminating state.

PMID: 29076330 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]