Preoperative injection using a diluted anesthetic/adrenaline solution significantly reduces blood loss in reduction mammaplasty.

Breast reductions are very common operations in the plastic surgical practice. The cosmetic results are generally satisfactory but are often accompanied with large volumes of blood lost. In this study, the reduction of blood loss together with other positive and negative effects of a preoperatively diluted anesthetic/adrenaline solution was tested. A group of 41 female patients treated with the infiltration solution was compared with a group of 29 female patients treated without the solution. No statistical differences were found in age at operation, weight, length, Quetelet index, amount of tissue resected, preoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit, postoperative drainage, duration of operation, and the viability of the skin flaps (p > 0.05). Blood loss was significantly less in the adrenaline-treated group measured in several ways (p < 0.0001). There were more adrenaline-treated patients with less hospitalization time compared with the nontreated group (p = 0.0858). In conclusion, diluted anesthetic/adrenaline solution significantly reduces blood loss in reduction mammaplasty without any adverse effects.