You may be wondering: ‘What does vascular occlusion mean?’ At Aspir8, we talk about vascular occlusions (VOs) a lot, so we wanted to give you the low-down on what this actually means and how we can prevent it from happening.
What is a VO?
A VO is one of the most common possible side effects of injecting dermal filler. It is also one of the most serious side effects and can lead to further complications. A VO occurs when blood is no longer able to pass through a blood vessel. And can be a complete occlusion or partial occlusion. This results in diminished or no blood supply which can be very dangerous for the patient, in some cases leading to skin necrosis or even blindness.
What are the signs of a VO when injecting dermal filler?
The immediate signs of a VO include:
- Blanching: A lightening or whitening of the skin.
- Pain: The patient may complain of immediate and severe pain.
- Temperature: The skin could be cold to touch.
- Tingling skin: Patients might complain about a tingling sensation to the skin.
Reducing the risk of a VO
There are a number of points which reduce the risk of encountering a VO and help to avoid further complication. These include:
- The practitioner must be an experienced medical professional.
- The injector must have excellent anatomical knowledge and understanding.
- The injector must use the correct, high-quality products in the correct places.
- Time should be taken to ensure correct application. In some cases, a treatment may require multiple sessions to ensure effective results.
- The practitioner should aspirate before every injection.
How does Aspiration help prevent VOs?
Aspiration is an injecting technique which many practitioners consider to be absolutely essential when administering dermal filler treatments. The process involves putting the needle in place and then pulling back on the syringe plunger. A positive aspiration (small amounts of blood in the syringe) indicates that the needle has been placed into a blood vessel. If this occurs, you should not continue to inject into this entry point.
Keeping Patients Safe with Aspir8
Our Aspir8 safety products make aspiration easier for injectors by making the process smoother and less awkward. Our debut Aspir8 thumb ring is the first single handed aspirator in the UK and is designed to improve stability, injector confidence and patient safety. The device effortlessly clips onto your syringe without fuss and becomes a seamless extension of your injecting apparatus.
Patient Safety – Reversing a VO
In the right hands, instances of a VO should be very rare. That said, dermal fillers are injectable treatments that always carry a degree of risk. Therefore, all practitioners should have a process in place to follow if a VO emergency does unfortunately occur. In this event, hyaluronidase can be used to dissolve the hyaluronic based dermal filler product. In this unlikely situation, acting promptly is absolutely paramount.