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Brachioplasty Wound Complications: A Review of 205 Cases from a Prospective Registry
Nerone KO. Douglas, MSc; Murali Kovuur, BS; Kouadio Toukou, BS; Viraj Govani, BS; Kero Kamel, BS; Lynn Frydrych, MD; Jeffery Gusenoff, MD; J. Peter Rubin, MD, MBA
University
2024-01-15
Presenter: Kouadio Toukou
Affidavit:
Kouadio Toukou
Director Name: Vu T. Nguyen
Author Category: Medical Student
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: Aesthetics
Introduction: Excess skin following massive weight loss is a cosmetic and functional challenge for patients. As the demand for post-bariatric brachioplasty procedures rises, we must understand the incidences of wound complications and best practices for treatment options. This study presents data from a single institution's experience with brachioplasty and its associated wound complications.
Methods: A single-center review of cases was performed for patients undergoing brachioplasty over 15 years. All patients were analyzed for preoperative clinical data and timelines of post-operative wound complications.
Results: 205 patients with brachioplasty procedures were analyzed. Of these patients, 10 (5%) patients were male, and 195 (95%) patients were female. The average age of brachioplasty patients was 47 years old, with an average BMI of 30.34 kg/m2 down from a max pre-massive-weight loss BMI of 52.19 kg/m2. Of the three most common wound complications, 57 (27.9%) patients had ≥1 event of superficial wound dehiscence, 33 (16.2%) patients had ≥1 event of seroma, and 20 (9.8%) had ≥1 event of suture extrusion. These complications were, in all cases, treated with office-based wound management. Interestingly, there was a positive association between superficial wound dehiscence and liposuction in the arms at the same time as brachioplasty, and suture extrusion and liposuction (p=0.03 and p<0.01, respectively); this contrasts earlier published work showing no impact of concurrent liposuction on these complications.
Conclusion: These wound complications are commonly observed after brachioplasty, but amenable to office-based care. Our analysis shows concurrent liposuction may be associated with a higher rate of wound complications.
