Pikkel Yoav Yechezkel, Eliad Hadar, Ofir Hagit, Zeidan Mahmud, Eldor Liron, Nakhleh Haya, Ramon Yitzchak, Zeltzer Assaf Aviram
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Rambam Health Care Campus, 8thHa'Aliya Hashniya st, Haifa, Israel.
Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2025 Jan 27. doi: 10.1007/s00266-024-04523-y.
Medical tourism is a rapidly expanding multi-billion-dollar industry. Reduced costs, all-inclusive vacation packages that include cosmetic surgery, globalization, and affordable flight expenses have encouraged patients to seek aesthetic procedures in different countries. Cosmetic medical tourism is associated with high complication rates, such as severe infections, wound dehiscence, pain or discomfort, aesthetic dissatisfaction, and even death.
A twelve-year survey of medical records was conducted using ADAMS healthcare database software. Data regarding patient demographics, the country of the original procedure, the operation type, complications, and subsequent treatment were recorded.
Fifty-six patients have been admitted to the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The youngest patient was 18, and the oldest was 65, with an average age of 37.46. The majority were females (n = 51, 91.07%). The most common procedure was liposuction (n = 40), followed by abdominoplasty (38). Only eleven patients had a single procedure while travelling; on average, they had 2.34 procedures in a single trip. Patients presented with an average POD of 30.9. The most common complaint was dehiscence at the surgical site. Eleven patients required re-operation. The average hospitalization length in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department was 4.4 days.
Medical tourism has a positive impact on patients and caregivers alike. However, the combination of multiple procedures in a short time, relatively short follow-up, different microbial environments, and more led to substantial complications, which had a devastating effect on many patients.
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医疗旅游是一个迅速扩张的、价值数十亿美元的产业。成本降低、包含整容手术的全包式度假套餐、全球化以及经济实惠的机票费用，促使患者在不同国家寻求美容手术。美容医疗旅游与高并发症发生率相关，如严重感染、伤口裂开、疼痛或不适、美容效果不满意，甚至死亡。
使用ADAMS医疗保健数据库软件对病历进行了为期十二年的调查。记录了患者人口统计学数据、初次手术所在国家、手术类型、并发症及后续治疗情况。
五十六名患者被收治入整形与重建外科。最年轻的患者18岁，最年长的65岁，平均年龄37.46岁。大多数为女性（n = 51，91.07%）。最常见的手术是抽脂术（n = 40），其次是腹部整形术（38例）。只有11名患者在旅行期间只进行了一项手术；他们平均单次旅行进行2.34项手术。患者术后平均住院日为30.9天。最常见的主诉是手术部位裂开。11名患者需要再次手术。整形与重建外科的平均住院时长为4.4天。
医疗旅游对患者及其护理者均有积极影响。然而，短时间内进行多项手术、相对较短的随访、不同的微生物环境等因素导致了大量并发症，对许多患者产生了毁灭性影响。
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