Abstract
BackgroundThe residual obesity and major comorbidities of postbariatric patients make abdominoplasty a challenging procedure. Patients with a history of bariatric surgery are more likely to develop postoperative complications following abdominoplasty. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing the development of hematoma following abdominoplasty in postbariatric patients and to evaluate potential risk factors.MethodsIn this retrospective study, 178 patients who underwent abdominoplasty at our university tertiary center institute between 2015 and 2019 were reviewed. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine whether there were differences between our cohorts in terms of comorbidities and postoperative hematoma.ResultsThere were 178 patients with abdominoplasty who were included in the study. Among the 153 participants, 86% were female. In our study, the incidence of hematomas postabdominoplasty was 2.8% (n = 5). The hematoma incidence was significantly correlated with sex (p = < .001), with males having a higher incidence of hematomas. Hematomas were also significantly associated with smoking. Patients who underwent bariatric surgery were significantly associated with the incidence of hematoma (p = .005), where all patients with hematomas had undergone bariatric surgery.ConclusionsIt can be concluded that patients undergoing bariatric surgery are more likely to develop hematomas. Postabdominoplasty hematomas were more likely to develop in smokers, men, and those with a lower BMI. These risk factors should be considered and optimized by surgeons when counseling patients preoperatively.Level of evidence: Level V, risk/prognostic study.