Emesis as a Risk Factor for Postoperative Hematoma in Abdominoplasty: A Retrospective Study in 189 Cases

BACKGROUND: Among aesthetic procedures, abdominoplasty is associated with an increased complication rate. In general, postoperative nausea and vomiting is frequently experienced. As vomiting increases the intraabdominal pressure and blood pressure, and results in an increased mechanical friction on the abdominal wall, intraoperatively ligated vessels are prone to reopen. However, previous studies have not investigated the impact of postoperative emesis on postoperative hematoma in patients undergoing abdominoplasty.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis on all patients who underwent abdominoplasty between 2017 and 2019 in our institution. Patients were divided into two groups, group 1 including patients experiencing postoperative vomiting and group two including patients without postoperative vomiting. Data extraction focused on patient characteristics, intraoperative characteristics, and postoperative complications, particularly the proportion of patients developing postoperative hematoma. Finally, statistical analysis was performed to analyze the impact of postoperative vomiting on the risk to develop a postoperative hematoma.

RESULTS: We identified 189 patients fitting our inclusion criteria. Overall, the proportion of postoperative hematoma was 13.7%. Thereby, a statistically significant difference was found between both groups: 62.5% of patients in group 1 (vomiting group) and only 9.25% in group 2 (nonvomiting group) developed a postoperative hematoma [odds ratio: 16.4 (95% confidence interval, 5.3-50.9), P < 0.000001].

CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing abdominoplasty, postoperative vomiting increases the risk to develop a postoperative hematoma.