Abstract
A phrase commonly stated in plastic surgery is that if a surgeon has no complications, than he or she is performing no surgery. Those of us who have practiced in the surgical arena are fully aware that adverse events can happen after the most minor of surgical procedures. It is the prevention of complications that ultimately defines surgeons' responsibility to their patients. In elective, aesthetic surgery, this expectation is even greater as patients generally present healthy, have high hopes, and have a low tolerance for any unexpected problem.
Thromboembolism is a feared complication of surgery across many disciplines, including plastic surgery. Deep vein thombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) can result in significant morbidity, even death. The overall incidence of DVT in the United States is 84-150 per 100,000 per year. The incidence of PE in the United States has a wide reported range, from 125,000 to 400,000 cases per year. Pulmonary embolism is responsible for about 150,000 deaths per year and is reported to be the third most common direct cause of death in the United States. Pulmonary embolism results in approximately 5% of all perioperative deaths. However, if diagnosed and treated early, PE carries a mortality rate of 2% to 8% (Most, Kozlow, Heller, & Shermak, 2005). The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reported in 2001 that an estimated more than 18,000 cases of DVT may occur in patients undergoing plastic surgery each year (Rohrich & Rios, 2003).
As we focus this issue on safety in plastic surgery, we felt this was an important and timely topic to address in Journal Club. We hope you will find these articles beneficial resources in educating you and guiding your protocols for patient safety within your aesthetic surgical practice.