Original Paper

Tumescent Liposuction: Partitioning of Lidocaine at a Lower Dose (252 mg/l)
Gang Wang, Weigang Cao

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

Address of Corresponding Author

Dermatology 2011;222:274-277 (DOI: 10.1159/000327382)

  Key Words

• Tumescent liposuction
• Lidocaine recovery
• Lidocaine partitioning

  Abstract

Background: The popularity of large-volume liposuction and the toxicity of lidocaine have led to a reduction of lidocaine dosage in tumescent liposuction. We have gradually reduced the concentration of lidocaine from 500 to 252 mg/l over the past decade. Objective: To evaluate the partitioning and the recovery of lidocaine at a lower concentration in tumescent liposuction. Methods: 10 consecutive patients’ aspirate samples were analysed for the lidocaine concentration in the fat and the fluid component, the percentage of injected lidocaine removed by aspiration and its partition coefficient in fat versus fluid. Results: 7.5% of the injected lidocaine was removed; its partition coefficient was 0.21. Conclusion: 7.5% of the total lidocaine was aspirated in tumescent liposuction. The fat uptake of lidocaine was lower than in previous reports, which was of particular interest for future studies on lidocaine toxicity for the safety of the patients undergoing tumescent liposuction.

Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Weigang Cao, MD, PhD
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Zhizaoju Road 639, Shanghai 200011 (China)
Tel. +86 21 2327 1699 5120, E-Mail wgcao@sina.com

  Article Information

Received: January 1, 2011
Accepted after revision: March 13, 2011
Published online: May 4, 2011
Number of Print Pages : 4
Number of Figures : 2, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 9