Kao YM, Chen KT, Lee KC, Hsu CC, Chien YC. Pulmonary Fat Embolism Following Liposuction and Fat Grafting: A Review of Published Cases.
Healthcare (Basel) 2023;
11:1391. [PMID:
37239677 PMCID:
PMC10218620 DOI:
10.3390/healthcare11101391]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
One of the most severe complications of liposuction and fat grafting is pulmonary fat embolism (PFE). However, most healthcare workers are not familiar with PFE. We performed a systematic review to describe the details of PFE.
METHODS
PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched up to October 2022. Further analysis focused on clinical, diagnostic, and outcome parameters.
RESULTS
A total of 40 patients from 19 countries were included. Chest computed tomography (CT) yielded 100% accuracy in the diagnosis of PFE. More than 90% of the deceased died within 5 days after surgery, and in 69% of patients, onset of symptoms occurred within 24 h after surgery. The proportions of patients who required mechanical ventilation, had a cardiac arrest event, or died among all patients and among those whose onset of symptoms occurred within 24 h after surgery were 76%, 38%, and 34% versus 86%, 56%, and 54%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The earlier the onset of symptoms was, the more severe the clinical course was. Once a patient presents with PFE-related symptoms, surgery should be halted, supportive care initiated, and chest CT used to diagnose PFE. According to our review results, if a patient with PFE survives the initial episode without permanent sequelae, a complete recovery can be anticipated.
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