Patients have recently been writing about the safety of multiple procedures. I would like to address the subject of multiple procedures such as a Tummy tuck combined with a Breast augmentation.
Like you, I am also concerned about the safety of doing multiple surgeries at the same time on the same patient. Fortunately, recent advances in pre operative, operative, and postoperative management allow me to do multiple surgeries safely and effectively. Preoperatively, we screen our patients carefully with the help of internal medicine specialists to make sure our patients are fit for surgery. We also inform the patient so that any drugs or herbs that can cause complications are avoided.
During surgery, the anesthesia management is also much improved compared to a few years ago. The anesthetic agents have less side effects. New monitoring technologies allow us to see and correct adverse situations before they become a problem. Surgical techniques themselves have evolved to take better advantage of the body’s circulatory patterns, allowing for better blood supply to the operated tissues. A better blood supply speeds and improves healing.
Multiple procedures have a certain protocol in the Operating Room. After the Tummy tuck procedure is completed, and prior to moving on to the breast augmentation, we wash the patient again with antibacterial solution and change to a whole new set of instruments. This reduces the chance of infection.
Postoperatively, we are more aggressive about the use of hydration (drinking lots of fluids with electrolytes, such as Gatorade). We also emphasize the importance of compression garments to control swelling and improve healing. None of these things by themselves are dramatic but, when put together as a comprehensive pre and postoperative program, they have proven to be a powerful aid in improving patient safety.
Breast Augmentation combined with Tummy tuck is a very popular option. I take these multiple procedure cases very seriously, but with confidence of a good result borne from years of experience.
