Background and Objective:

A common complication after abdominoplasty in patients with massive weight loss is seroma formation. This condition could change the traditional parameters to remove drainage systems. Our objective are to determine if the post-bariatric condition is a factor that decreases the absorption capacity of fluid in the body surface in dermolipectomy, to know the relationship between the dissected area with the amount of surface drainage, to consider if the average of drainage in 24 hours may be the highest standard for removing the drain, and to describe the biochemical parameters related to the volume of the drainage

Methods:

We conduct a prospective, longitudinal, descriptive and clinical study with a sample consisted on 30 post-bariatric patients who underwent abdominal dermolipectomy. The intraoperative dissection area was measured and the volume of drainage registered until its removal.

Results:

The mean age was 38.9 + 10.9 years with 83.3% female The average body mass index was 27.85 + 5.49 kg/m2. The average area of dissection was 582.983 + 173.90 cm2. Drain removal was conducted between 9 and 10 postoperative days. The daily volume obtained by drainage was 72.12 + 24.19 ml.

Conclusions:

The postbariatric condition of the patients, with large areas of dissection in abdominal dermolipectomies, is related to greater production of fluid in the postoperative period, which is the reason why the parameters that are commonly used for drain removal must be changed.

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