Lower Rate of Complications Seen With Recent Abdominoplasties

THURSDAY, Dec. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- In recent years, the rates of complications and revision surgery for abdominoplasties have decreased, according to a study published in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Michael J. Stein, M.D., from Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and colleagues examined trends in practice patterns for abdominoplasty based on a 16-year review of tracer data from 2005 to 2021. The patients were split into an early cohort (EC; 2005 to 2014) and recent cohort (RC; 2015 to 2021) to facilitate comparison of an equal number of patients over time. Data were included from 8,990 abdominoplasties (EC: 4,740; RC: 4,250).

The researchers found that the rate of complications was lower for RC than EC abdominoplasties (19 versus 22 percent) and the rate of revision surgery was also lower (8 versus 10 percent). This occurred despite the use of abdominal flap liposuction increasing (25 versus 18 percent). Use of wide undermining, vertical plication of the abdomen, and surgical drains all decreased significantly. Outpatient abdominoplasty surgery is increasingly performed, with increased chemoprophylaxis for prevention of thrombosis.

"Abdominoplasty has remained a safe and reliable procedure over the 16-year study period, with a slight but statistically significant decrease in adverse events in the RC," the authors write. "Careful preoperative evaluation of patients should identify risk factors that increase the risk of complications."

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