Deaths related to liposuction in Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Liposuction is one of the most performed cosmetic surgeries in the world. Its mortality varies from 2,6 (6) to 19 (7) deaths/100 thousand. Data were obtained through questionnaires from medical societies (4-10) and retrospective data from forensic medicine institutes. However, both methods present flaws: the first due to professional bias and information duplicity, and the second due to the lack of data on the cause of death.
OBJECTIVES: To identify the number and causes of liposuction deaths through documentary records of news published in the press and study of death certificates.
METHODS: This is a documentary, descriptive-quantitative study. Knowing the deceased patients’ names and the cities where the death occurred, we obtained death certificates from the civil registry offices.
RESULTS: We surveyed 102 deaths and 86 death certificates. Pulmonary thromboembolism was the most cited cause of death in 17.44%, 45% on the same day of surgery. 53.6% of surgeries were performed in hospitals, and 61.76% of them, alone. Most physicians responsible for the surgeries were plastic surgeons (74%). Still, none were registered as a specialist in Dermatology at the Federal Medical Council. In 12.98% cases, doctors who participated in the surgery filled out the death certificate.
LIMITATIONS: The ethical impossibility of accessing medical records and the inadequate filling of death certificates.
CONCLUSION: The compulsory notification must be established by law to create a databa

Keywords: Liposuction; dead.