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A Multiple Regression Analysis of Postoperative Complications After Body-Contouring Surgery: a Retrospective Analysis of 205 Patients

Regression Analysis of Complications

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Abstract

Background

As bariatric surgery becomes ever more popular, so does body-contouring surgery to eliminate excess skin after radical weight loss. To date, the literature has described a number of risk factors affecting the postoperative outcome. Our study aimed to define those factors more closely, focusing on abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck”) patients who suffered intra- and postoperative complications.

Methods

The study collective included 205 patients over 5 years (2001–2006) who underwent dermolipectomy at our department. The mean follow-up was 5.94 years. Every abdominoplasty was performed under general anesthesia with intraoperative one-dose antibiotic. The analysis included a complete review of all medical records. Statistical analysis was performed with the R-2.5.0 Software for Windows.

Results

The overall rate for major complications that required operative revision and/or antibiotics was 10.2 %, including 2.9 % cases of infections. Forty-one percent had minor complications, such as seromas, hematomas, wound healing problems, and wound dehiscences. The logistic regression models demonstrated that smoking combined with the age, a BMI higher than 30 kg/m2, and the amount of removed tissue (measured in g) lead to significantly more wound healing problems in nearly all age groups. The probability of infections correlated with later drain removal.

Conclusions

Regardless of the amount of tissue removed, no main risk factor for complications could be identified. A complication-free course and good outcome can be best achieved with careful patient selection and preoperative planning.

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Acknowledgments

We agreed to the submitted version of the paper and bear responsibility for it, that all who have been acknowledged as contributors or as providers of personal communications have agreed to their inclusion, that the material is original, and that it has been neither published elsewhere nor submitted for publication simultaneously. We accepted that the paper will not be published elsewhere in the same or similar form, in English or in any other language, without written consent of the copyright holder.

Disclosure

The authors have no financial disclosures to declare.

Conflict of Interest

All named authors declare no conflict of interest.

Statement of Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Statement of Human and Animal Rights

The protocol of this analysis was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Medical University of Graz and was in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (revised 2000).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    D. Parvizi, P. Wurzer, LP. Kamolz, P. Lebo, A. Tuca, T. Rappl, M. Wiedner, K. Kuess, M. Grohmann & H. Koch

  2. Institute of Statistics, Graz University of Technology, Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036, Graz, Austria

    H. Friedl

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  1. D. Parvizi
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  2. H. Friedl
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  3. P. Wurzer
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  4. LP. Kamolz
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  6. A. Tuca
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Correspondence to D. Parvizi.

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Parvizi, D., Friedl, H., Wurzer, P. et al. A Multiple Regression Analysis of Postoperative Complications After Body-Contouring Surgery: a Retrospective Analysis of 205 Patients. OBES SURG 25, 1482–1490 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-014-1559-5

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