Mechanical Thromboprophylaxis Alone in Body Contouring Surgery for Post Massive Weight Loss Patients: Is this Good Enough?

Background Although the use of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis effectively reduces Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) incidence after body contouring surgery, this might increase the risk of bleeding and hematoma formation. In this scenario, the use of mechanical prophylaxis alone could be an attractive alternative. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of DVT in patients with massive weight loss undergoing body contouring surgeries in whom mechanical prophylaxis alone was indicated. Methods This retrospective cohort study included all patients who underwent body contouring surgery after massive weight loss between 09/01/16-12/31/19 and received solely mechanical prophylaxis of VTD. Data collected included smoking habit, body mass index, history of cancer, use of contraceptives, magnitude of weight loss, Caprini scale, American society of anesthesiology physical status (ASA-PS) classification, and type and length of procedures. An analysis of DVT events during the postoperative period up to 90 days was undertaken. Results Sixty-four patients, in whom 82 BCS were performed, were included in this study. Most of them (89.1%) were female with a mean age of 47 +/- 12 years. Mechanical prophylaxis methods used were elastic compression stockings, intermittent pneumatic compression boots, and early deambulation. In all cases, the average length of hospital stay was 26.3 +/- 9.6 hours. Surgical times were less than 155,7 minutes in all procedures. Global incidence of DVT was 1.2% in a patient receiving mechanical prophylaxis alone. There were no bleeding complications or pulmonary embolism episodes. Conclusions In this series, DVT incidence in patients with mechanical prophylaxis alone was deemed acceptable if compared to the incidence reported in the literature. Individualization of the risk of thrombosis and bleeding in this group of patients is of paramount importance to reduce complications.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the incidence of DVT in patients with massive weight loss undergoing body contouring surgeries and receiving mechanical prophylaxis. The results showed that mechanical prophylaxis alone can effectively reduce the risk of DVT without any bleeding complications or pulmonary embolism episodes.