title: Is There a Safe Lipoaspirate Volume? A Risk Assessment Model of Liposuction Volume as a Function of Body Mass Index.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No concrete data exist to support a specific volume at which liposuction becomes unsafe; surgeons rely on their own estimates, professional organization advisories, or institutional or government-imposed restrictions. This study represents the first attempt to quantify the comprehensive risk associated with varying liposuction volumes and its interaction with body mass index.
  
  
  METHODS
  Suction-assisted lipectomies were identified from the Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons database. Multivariate regression models incorporating the interaction between liposuction volume and body mass index were used to assess the influence of liposuction volume on complications and to develop a tool that returns a single adjusted odds ratio for any combination of body mass index and liposuction volume. Recursive partitioning was used to determine whether exceeding a threshold in liposuction volume per body mass index unit significantly increased complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-nine of 4534 patients (1.5 percent) meeting inclusion criteria experienced a postoperative complication. Liposuction volume and body mass index were significant independent risk factors for complications. With progressively higher volumes, increasing body mass index reduced risk (OR, 0.99; 95 percent CI, 0.98 to 0.99; p = 0.007). Liposuction volumes in excess of 100 ml per unit of body mass index were an independent predictor of complications (OR, 4.58; 95 percent CI, 2.60 to 8.05; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Liposuction by board-certified plastic surgeons is safe, with a low risk of life-threatening complications. Traditional liposuction volume thresholds do not accurately convey individualized risk. The authors' risk assessment model demonstrates that volumes in excess of 100 ml per unit of body mass index confer an increased risk of complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic, III.
authors: Chicago, Ill.; and Allentown, Pa. From the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine; the American Society of Plastic Surgeons; Cosmetic & Reconstructive Specialists of the Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Valley Health Network; and the Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Illinois.
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Chow
authors: Mohammed S
authors: MS
authors: Alghoul
authors: Nima
authors: N
authors: Khavanin
authors: Philip J
authors: PJ
authors: Hanwright
authors: Kristen E
authors: KE
authors: Mayer
authors: Keith M
authors: KM
authors: Hume
authors: Robert X
authors: RX
authors: Murphy
authors: Karol A
authors: KA
authors: Gutowski
authors: John Y S
authors: JYS
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015187:Lipectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D018570:Risk Assessment