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Post-bariatric Abdominoplasty: Identification of Risk Factors for Complications
Karen De Paep1, Ilia Van Campenhout1, Sebastiaan Van Cauwenberge2
1Department of Bariatric & Post-Bariatric Surgery, AZ Sint-Jan Brugge-Oostende AV, Ruddershove 10, 8000, Brugge, Belgium.
Insights
Post-bariatric abdominoplasty complication rates are low with standardized techniques. Key predictors for complications include tissue resected, time since bariatric surgery, BMI, male gender, diabetes, and smoking.
Area of Science:
- Plastic Surgery
- Bariatric Surgery Outcomes
Background:
- Abdominoplasty is frequently performed after bariatric surgery to address excess skin.
- Assessing complication rates and identifying risk factors is crucial for patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the complication rate following abdominoplasty in a high-volume post-bariatric surgery center.
- To identify predictors associated with complications after these procedures.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of abdominoplasty procedures from January 2011 to December 2019.
- Complications were classified using the Clavien-Dindo system.
- Statistical evaluation of potential risk factors for complications.
Main Results:
- 898 patients were included, with an overall complication rate of 29.8%.
- Predictors for complications included weight of resected tissue, interval post-bariatric surgery, preoperative BMI, male gender, type 2 diabetes, and smoking.
- Higher complication rates correlated with increased tissue resection and longer intervals between surgeries.
Conclusions:
- Standardized techniques in high-volume centers yield low complication rates for post-bariatric abdominoplasty.
- Tissue resected, time since bariatric surgery, BMI, male gender, diabetes, and smoking are significant risk factors.
Purpose:
The aim was to evaluate the complication rate after abdominoplasty procedures performed in a high volume post-bariatric center and to identify predictors of complications.
Material And Methods:
A retrospective analysis was performed and included all abdominoplasty procedures performed between January 2011 and December 2019. Complications classified according to the Clavien-Dindo classification were documented and potential risk factors were statistically evaluated.
Results:
A total of 898 patients were included. Overall complication rate was 29.8%. Type I complications (minor wound problems) occurred in 15.8% (n = 140). Type II complications requiring medical intervention occurred in 10% (n = 90). Five patients had deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism; others received antibiotic treatment for wound infections. In total 42 type III complications occurred in 36 patients, with re-intervention for wound problems (n = 16), seroma (n = 16), umbilical necrosis (n = 4), and bleeding (n = 6). The weight of tissue resected (p < 0.001), the interval between bariatric and body contouring surgery (p < 0.05), preoperative BMI (p < 0.05), male gender (p < 0.05), diabetes mellitus type 2 (p = 0.05), and smoking (p < 0.05) were important predictors for developing complications.
Conclusion:
In this large retrospective post-bariatric abdominoplasty series, the overall complication rate is low compared to other published series as a consequence of our completely standardized approach and technique. Our analysis shows a significant linear correlation between the amount of skin tissue resected and postoperative complications. Moreover, the longer the interval between bariatric surgery and abdominoplasty, the higher the complication rate. High preoperative BMI, diabetes mellitus type 2, smoking, and male gender were identified as independent significant risk factors for complications.
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