Liposuction safety

Monday, June 30th, 2014

Reuters (5/29, Doyle) reports that several Maryland and Delaware weight loss clinics may have infected patrons with A Streptococcus because of substandard infection control. All infected patients underwent liposuction at the same medical spa chain that was not subject to state regulation. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was notified at the time of the outbreak in 2012, which included three patients that needed to be hospitalized, one of whom later died. The Baltimore Sun (5/29) also reports on this story.

Liposuction is a major surgical procedure with many risks including infection. Unfortunately, many non-plastic surgeons who have not been trained in surgical technique perceive liposuction as easy and do not follow all the precautions necessary to make the procedure safe. This problem has become more common as makers of liposuction equipment have began to sell their equipment to anyone who will purchase it, no matter what their credentials. Liposuction is, therefore, a procedure that should be investigated thoroughly including the qualifications of the person doing it, their experience. and where it will be done before agreeing to it.