POST-BARIATRIC BODY CONTOURING SURGERY: AN ANALYSIS OF RECURRENT POST-OPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS

Abstract

The bariatric procedure is an important option for weight loss in obese patients with comorbidities or, for whom lifestyle changes have been insufficient or ineffective. However, in about one third of surgeries, complications occur due to excess skin. These skin deformities are considered aesthetic and functional losses that interfere with the mobility and activities of daily living. Thus, many patients seek to perform new surgeries after bariatric such as body contour surgery. Therefore, in view of this demand, the purpose of this article is to describe the most recurring complications in body contour surgeries in bariatric patients. As a methodology, a bibliographic review was performed, integrating information from the medical literature with research into the PubMed database. The results showed that different surgical types were used for the post-baryiatric body contour: brachioplasty, abdominoplasty, mastopexy and medial thigh lifting. There was no postoperative mortality. The most frequently associated surgical procedure with complications was abdominoplasty. Combining data, dehiscence and seroma were the most common complications. In addition, an increase in complications rate in smokers complicated when compared to non-smoking patients was observed. The operation most often associated with complications was abdominoplasty with the central area of ​​the operative wound particularly exposed to the risk of dehiscence. In addition, based on data obtained, the complications rate in smoking patients is almost 3 times higher than in non -smoking patients. Even more, obesity and overweight were determinant in the occurrence of complications. Finally, data on brachioplasty analyzed in the articles demonstrated high revision and complications rates, especially wound dehiscence and hypertrophic scar.