Pressure makes diamonds? The impact of closed incision negative pressure wound therapy on complications following abdominoplasty in patients with massive weight loss-results from a case controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

The effectiveness of closed incision negative pressure wound therapy (ciNPWT) has been shown across various studies. However, studies with large patient cohorts comprising post-bariatric patient populations are missing. The objective of this research was to assess the influence of ciNPWT on post-operative wound complications in this demanding patient collective.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective case-control study. Between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2023, a total of 251 abdominoplasty procedures following massive weight loss were identified. Patients were matched based on resection weights. We matched 118 patients separated into two groups depending on post-surgical wound management (conventional wound dressings vs ciNPWT). The primary outcomes were wound-related disorders and secondary outcomes were the number of readmissions or reoperations within 30 days after the initial surgery.

RESULTS

The study revealed equal incidence of seroma formation (15 vs 15, p = 1.0), rates of wound dehiscence (23 vs 20, p = 0.56), surgical site infection (11 vs 6, p = 0.18), hematoma (17 vs 9, p = 0.07), complete removal of all drainages (6.7 vs 6.1 days, p = 0.34) and total number of readmission (12 vs 11, p = 0.77) or reoperations (12 vs 10, p = 0.63) within 30 days. The second hospital stay caused by revision was significantly shorter in the ciNPWT group (5.8 days vs 12.0 days, p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Consequently, we did not find evidence to support the hypothesis that ciNPWT reduces complications after abdominoplasty in patients with massive weight loss.