Cosmetic Surgery Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Cosmetic Surgery, including details on microsurgery, reconstruction, techniques, risks.

Randomized clinical trial on the effects of the use of diluted adrenaline solution in reduction mammaplasty: same patient, same technique, same surgeon.

Soueid A, Nawinne M, Khan H

Plastic Surgery Department, Royal Preston Hospital, UK. alisoueid@doctors.org.uk

BACKGROUND: Reduction mammaplasty is a very common operation in plastic surgery. Efforts have been made to reduce blood loss and to lower morbidity by infiltrating the breast with vasoconstrictor agents before resection. This is the first randomized clinical trial conducted on the same patient, by the same surgeon, and using the same operative technique to compare the effects of dilute adrenaline solution infiltration. METHODS: Fifty patients (100 breasts) who underwent bilateral simultaneous reduction mammaplasty had 0.9% saline and bupivacaine with adrenaline (1:500,000) infiltrated in one breast and 0.9% saline and bupivacaine infiltrated in the other breast. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in intraoperative blood loss in breasts infiltrated with adrenaline solution (p < 0.0001), with no increase in operating time or complication rate compared with breasts that had no adrenaline infiltration. CONCLUSION: The use of diluted adrenaline is a safe method of reducing the amount of intraoperative bleeding, with no increase in adverse effects.

Published 4 March 2008 in Plast Reconstr Surg, 121(3): 30e-33e.
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