Small Intestinal Perforation after 360-Degree Liposuction: A Case Report.

OBJECTIVE: As one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures, liposuction is relatively safe. Bowel injury following liposuction is a rare but devastating complication, which necessitates hospital admission and surgical intervention. The authors highlight a case report describing the presentation, diagnosis, and management of a patient with bowel injury following liposuction. CASE: A 58-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain, erythema, and discharge three days after 360-degree abdominal liposuction with concomitant fat grafting to bilateral buttocks at an outpatient surgery center. Bowel perforation was suspected after CT-scan revealed extraluminal gas in the abdomen and communication that traversed the peritoneum. Exploratory laparotomy was performed which demonstrated at least one site of distinct perforation of the small bowel and an area omentum noted to be inflamed, thickened and with a purulent rind. The patient underwent 20-cm small bowel resection and partial omentectomy temporarily closed with negative pressure wound therapy. After subsequent abdominal wall debridements the patient received ventral hernia repair with bridging mesh and abdominal closure. CONCLUSIONS: While safe, elective cosmetic procedures are not without risk of serious and even fatal complications. Providers must be familiar with the presentation of bowel injury following abdominal liposuction to prevent delays in appropriate surgical and medical care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Morbid Obesity Not a Risk for Serious Complications Following Outpatient Surgery.

Patients with class III obesity are often excluded from surgery in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). We hypothesize that class III obesity is not a risk factor for serious post-operative complications following outpatient operations. ACS-NSQIP database from 2012 to 2018 was queried. Patients undergoing outpatient inguinal hernia repair (IHR) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) were grouped by BMI. Baseline characteristics and 30-day outcomes were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses. Of these, 79,916 patients underwent IHR and 107,471 patients underwent LC. Multivariable analysis in IHR showed increased odds of superficial SSIs in all classes of obesity compared to normal weight (P < .0001). In the LC group, there were higher rates of SSIs with obesity (P < .0001). For both surgeries, a higher rate of readmissions to the hospital were observed in class II and IIIa obesity (both P < .0001), although rates were relatively low (<3%). Class III obesity demonstrates a statistically significant increase in SSI following IHR and LC. Severe complications requiring readmission are not mirrored, suggesting the morbidly obese patients should be considered for routine surgical procedures in outpatient settings.