Complications in post-bariatric body contouring surgery using a practical treatment regime to optimise the nutritional state

Background: Post-bariatric body contouring surgery (BCS) treats redundant skin after massive weight loss; however, the complication risk is relatively high (23-70%). Most complications are woundrelated, which may be partly due to a poor nutritional status after bariatric surgery. The objective of this observational study was to optimise nutrition preoperatively and assess the prevalence of wound-related complications after BCS. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 140 patients. Patients were treated according to the post-bariatric BCS guideline.Nutritional parameters were collected via pre- and peri-operative blood sampling; any deficiencies were treated. A protein-enriched diet was prescribed by a dietician 4 weeks preoperatively up until closure of all wounds. Complications were recorded using the Clavien-Dindo classification. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify variables associated with wound-related complications. Results: The overall wound-related complication rate was 51%. Most complications were minor, with only 4.3% was considered major. No significant differences in patient characteristics were found between patients with and without complications. Variables indicating an optimised nutritional state were not significantly associated with a decreased risk of complications; the most influential factor was a sufficient post-operative protein intake (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.07 - 1.02, p = 0.05). Conclusion: The overall wound-related complication rate was in accordance with previous literature; however, major complications were few. This study showed a weak correlation between optimising nutritional state and better outcome after BCS, especially following a protein-enriched diet post-operatively. Therefore, we recommend continuing research on nutrition and wound-related complications, using homogeneous study populations and well-defined complications. (c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.

Automated summary

This observational study aimed to optimize preoperative nutrition and assess the prevalence of wound-related complications after body contouring surgery. The results showed that a sufficient post-operative protein intake was the most influential factor in preventing complications.