Safety & Health Standards
in Frequently Asked Questions
To maximize safety, ensure that:
- Your surgeon is adequately trained
- The facility where your surgery will be performed conforms to strict safety standards;
- Your surgeon is informed of any drugs you are taking and your full medical history, especially if you have had any circulation disorders, heart or lung ailments or problems with blood clots;
- The surgical facility will use an anesthesiologist to administer and monitor your anesthesia and your recovery immediately following the procedure
How can I determine if my plastic surgeon’s surgical facility meets acceptable safety standards?
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery have issued a statement to their members that by July 1, 2002 all plastic surgery performed under anesthesia, other than minor local anesthesia and/or minimal oral tranquilization, must be performed in a surgical facility that meets at least one of the following criteria:
- Accredited by a national or state recognized accrediting agency/organization such as the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), or Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
- Certified to participate in the Medicare program under Title XVIII
- Licensed by the state in which the facility is located
Patients should ensure that the facility is accredited or is in the process of being accredited. I perform my surgery at a JCAHO and Medicare approved facility. Plastic surgery procedures performed in accredited surgical facilities by qualified plastic surgeons.
How can I be sure that the anesthesia care I receive in my plastic surgeon’s surgical facility is adequate?
Anesthesia care in an accredited or licensed facility has reached a level of sophistication that is absolutely comparable to the care received in the hospital. For maximum safety, ASPS recommends that:
- Any planned anesthesia should be administered by an anesthesiologist. I perform my procedures with a board-certified anesthesiologist (we can have a link here to my anesthesia data) on all but the most minor procedures at the surgery center.
Before any type of anesthesia is used, the surgeon and anesthesiologist must take a full medical history. A physical examination and appropriate lab tests may also be performed. Your surgeon needs to know if you have any serious medical problems or have had previous adverse reaction to any other type of anesthesia. Also, you must let the anesthesiologist know about any medications you are taking (including herbal supplements), any known drug allergies, when you last ate and whether you smoke cigarettes or use alcohol or illegal drugs.
You should be assured that you will receive individual monitoring by skilled, licensed personnel before, during and after the procedure. Staff who are familiar with the warning signs of cardiac or respiratory distress and are trained in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), should be on hand to monitor your procedure and recovery following your surgery.
If you are told that you will be kept overnight at the surgical facility while you recuperate, make sure that the facility is accredited by a recognized agency. In an accredited facility you will receive around-the-clock care and monitoring by two or more skilled and licensed staff members with at least one trained in ACLS. You will also be assured that the facility has the necessary equipment and medications to handle complications that may arise and an emergency plan in case you need to be transferred to the hospital.
For more information, please visit our full FAQ at BlackhawkPlasticSurgery.com
