Deliberations of the Safety Task Force: Risk factors and treatment of adverse events associated with aesthetic injectables.

Background: The growing popularity of aesthetic procedures involving fillers, biostimulators, and neurotoxins has prompted concerns about patient safety. To address these concerns, a global Safety Task Force (STF) was formed.

Aims: The inaugural STF meeting prioritized vascular compromise prevention and management, guiding clinical trial design and materials for future meetings, and collecting data from experts on current safety methods.

Methods: The STF was formed and consisted of 16 experts from nine different countries, with each possessing distinct expertise in various fields related to aesthetic injectables. Current safety data, protocols, knowledge gaps and future research priorities were discussed and voted upon.

Results: The establishment of a global database for tracking filler-related AEs was favored by 93% of participants. Discussions revolved around the database's scope, data standardization, and whether non-medical contributors should be included. Aspiration as a safety technique garnered support from 73% of participants. Approximately 43% of participants incorporate ultrasound in their injections, with divergent opinions on its impact and potential when used as a standard of practice versus in AE management. Most physicians on the task force incorporated cannula use for some of their injections (93%). There were varying perspectives on treatments for vascular adverse events (VAE), the primary causes, and the adoption of new protocols in the field.

Conclusions: The STF meeting underscored the need for a coordinated effort to address complications related to HA fillers, including VAE management and hyaluronidase protocols. Reliable treatment endpoints were evaluated, but improved measurement methods are needed. Future meetings will focus on addressing delayed complications, furthering safety in this field.