TY - JOUR
T1 - Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection of Abdominal Wall after Lipoabdominoplasty
T2 - Complication following Medical Tourism
AU - Shrestha, Sabi
AU - Lue, Melinda
AU - Wang, Howard T.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/7/5
Y1 - 2022/7/5
N2 - Necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) is an acute life-threatening complication of cosmetic surgery. We present a case study of a 48-year-old woman diagnosed with NSTI of the abdominal wall following liposuction, abdominoplasty, and ventral hernia repair performed in Latin America. In the operating room, bowel perforation at the hepatic flexure was observed requiring emergent fascial debridement, bowel resection, and broad-spectrum antibiotics. She required multiple washouts and split-thickness skin grafts. Complications such as NSTI are possible after lipoabdominoplasty and are prevalent in cosmetic medical tourism, due, in part, to varying institutional standards and accreditations, and in some cases lack of consistent adherence to set standards. Complications after medical tourism contribute a significant burden to medical staff and the healthcare system in patients' home countries. Patient education by their surgeons and plastic surgery societies should be prioritized. It is important for domestic emergency physicians, plastic surgeons, and other care providers to understand complications postcosmetic surgery to promote timely management.
AB - Necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) is an acute life-threatening complication of cosmetic surgery. We present a case study of a 48-year-old woman diagnosed with NSTI of the abdominal wall following liposuction, abdominoplasty, and ventral hernia repair performed in Latin America. In the operating room, bowel perforation at the hepatic flexure was observed requiring emergent fascial debridement, bowel resection, and broad-spectrum antibiotics. She required multiple washouts and split-thickness skin grafts. Complications such as NSTI are possible after lipoabdominoplasty and are prevalent in cosmetic medical tourism, due, in part, to varying institutional standards and accreditations, and in some cases lack of consistent adherence to set standards. Complications after medical tourism contribute a significant burden to medical staff and the healthcare system in patients' home countries. Patient education by their surgeons and plastic surgery societies should be prioritized. It is important for domestic emergency physicians, plastic surgeons, and other care providers to understand complications postcosmetic surgery to promote timely management.
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U2 - 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004416
DO - 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004416
M3 - Article
C2 - 35813109
AN - SCOPUS:85134509087
SN - 2169-7574
VL - 10
SP - E4416
JO - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open
JF - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open
IS - 7
ER -