ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – At first thought, the idea of having cosmetic plastic surgery in an office may sound a bit unsettling, but plastic surgery procedures, once only reserved for hospital operating rooms or ambulatory surgery centers, can be performed safely in office-based facilities according to a study in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). "Some groups have challenged that performing plastic surgery in an office-based facility compromises patient safety," said ASPS President-elect Rod Rohrich, MD, and co-author of the study. "The purpose of this study is to determine whether outcomes were adversely affected by performing plastic surgery in accredited office-based facilities."
The authors reviewed 5,316 consecutive plastic surgery cases completed between 1995 and 2000 – the majority of which were cosmetic plastic surgery procedures including facelift, eyelid surgery, breast augmentation, liposuction, and nose reshaping. Less than one percent of the 5,316 patients experienced complications, the vast majority were due to hematomas (a collection of blood) following facelift surgery.
"There are many advantages to office-based plastic surgery for both patients and plastic surgeons including cost savings and efficiency," said Dr. Rohrich. "But patient safety must take precedence over cost and convenience. The study shows that plastic surgery in the office setting is safe."
According to ASPS statistics, in 2002 fifty percent (3.3 million) cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in an office-based facility.
To help ensure patient safety in office-based facilities, the ASPS requires that all of its members (board-certified plastic surgeons) perform outpatient plastic surgery in an accredited office. Accredited or licensed outpatient surgical facilities must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Be accredited by a nationally recognized or state-recognized accrediting agency, such as the American Association for Accreditation for Ambulatory Surgery or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
- Be certified to participate in the Medicare program under Title XVII.
- Be licensed by the state in which the facility is located.
"The safety profile of office-based facilities must meet and even exceed that of traditional hospital-based or ambulatory care facilities," said Dr. Rohrich. "Patients should also know that surgeons must have privileges at a nearby hospital and be credentialed to perform any procedure being contemplated at an office-based facility."
"After reviewing our experience with office-based plastic surgery over the last six years, we found patients experienced few complications and there were no deaths to report," said Rohrich. "We continue to support the judicious use of accredited outpatient surgical facilities by board-certified plastic surgeons."
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