Effect of subcutaneous lidocaine infiltration on blood loss secondary to corporal lipoaspiration: a prospective, randomized, double-masked clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Lipoaspiration is one of the most frequently performed aesthetic surgical procedures worldwide. The use of tumescent solution containing lidocaine to infiltrate subcutaneous fat before surgery has been accepted as the standard of care for these procedures. Its objective is to diminish postoperative analgesic necessities and secondary blood loss, but its role in hematocrit reduction is not clear at this time. This study aimed to measure the effect of subcutaneous lidocaine infiltration on blood loss secondary to corporal liposuction.

METHODS: A prospective, randomized, double-masked clinical trial was performed. Between November 2005 and July 2007, 70 consecutive female patients submitted to corporal liposuction as a single surgery were included in the study. All the patients were randomly assigned to two groups. The study group received tumescent solution containing lidocaine and epinephrine, whereas the control group received tumescent solution containing only epinephrine. Hematocrit was measured preoperatively, then 2 to 4, 12, and 24 h postoperatively.

RESULTS: The comparison between the two groups did not show significant statistical differences with respect to age, body mass index, infiltrated volume, aspirated fat volume, surgical time, hospital stay, preoperative hematocrit, or comparison of the areas lipoaspirated. The mean hematocrit reduction in the study group was 10.8% +/- 2.9% compared with 8.8% +/- 2.6% in the control group (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION: The use of lidocaine in the tumescent solution for subcutaneous fat infiltration significantly increases postoperative anemia compared with the results obtained when epinephrine infiltration alone is used.