132 pounds removed in marathon tummy tuck

[Celebration]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11881076/

Surgeons in Spain used cranes and ropes in 9-hour operation

Updated: 9:19 p.m. ET March 17, 2006

MADRID, Spain - Spanish surgeons using cranes and ropes removed a 132-pound mass of fat and liquid from the abdomen of a middle-aged woman in the procedure known as a tummy tuck.

Francisco Javier Gabilondo, chief of plastic surgery at Hospital Cruces near the Basque city of Bilbao, said Friday the operation was "more spectacular than it was difficult."

The nine-hour procedure was performed last week, and the name of the patient was not released. She is in her 50s.

Gabilondo said she suffered from morbid obesity and until now had to sleep with the fatty mass — known as an abdominal apron — placed beside her on a table.

[LeftCoast]

1. I just observed a much smaller version of this surgery last week

Really interesting to watch. The operation in this article must've taken a heck of a lot of planning. The poor woman is probably in for a painful recovery, but if all goes well, I imagine she'll have a much better quality of life.

[catmother]

7. i assume you're in the medical profession.

[catmother]

2. i'd love to see pictures of that.

[thecrow]

4. I'm sure Dicovery Health Channel will have it on sooner or later....

[catmother]

6. i hope so. i watch all the plastic surgery shows. been nipped

and tucked myself.

[DS1]

3. I could've done it in 2 seconds. No bleeding

[MADem]

5. Cranes and ropes??? WOW... n/t

[gristy]

8. That is very odd

until now had to sleep with the fatty mass — known as an abdominal apron — placed beside her on a table.

More than odd. What, was there no room left on the bed for it?

[catmother]

9. you made me laugh. i guess there wasn't room for it.

[FM Arouet666]

10. Really a fun operation. Sick, but fun.

I have a bunch of pics somewhere on my system, one of my servers is down tonight, I suspect they are on that system. If anyone has an interest I could post a few, they all protect the identity of the patient.

The most I took off was about 90 pounds. They sure do operate slowly in Spain. 9 hours? In residency we would book the case as a 'Paniculectomy with chains.' A large cubical was constructed around the OR table with steel beams, a single beam directly over the patient. Chains where attached to the center beam and steel wire sutures with needles resembling fish hooks were used to hoist the panus up.

However, it can be dangerous. I saw one patient arrest and die from post-op bleeding, and saved one patient by pumping four units of blood in rapid succession after a bleed.

I took a thirty pound mass of fat off a morbidly obese male's leg, he was unable to ambulate because of the thing. The mass of fat had been chronically infected, the skin thick as leather with grotesque features draining pus. Yummy. He did well, was able to walk again and eventually lost 300 pounds.

Again, sick but fun............