Use of Tumescence for Outpatient Abdominoplasty and Other Concurrent Body Contouring Procedures: A Review of 65 Consecutive Patients

Introduction: Abdominoplasty is being increasingly performed as an outpatient procedure. The role of tumescent technique in decreasing postoperative pain and hospital stay has not been extensively studied. Methods: We reviewed 65 consecutive patients who underwent tumescent abdominoplasty over 20 months by a single surgeon. All the patients were followed up for at least 1 year. The outcomes were evaluated in terms of systemic complications such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and local complications such as seroma, wound infection, and skin necrosis. Results: Of the 65 patient records analyzed, 61 were of females and 4 of males. Average age for the patient population was 45.2 years. Mean follow-up was at least 1 year for all the patients. Ninety-five percent of patients could be discharged the same day with tumescent abdominoplasty, whereas 71% of the patients who underwent concurrent procedures with abdominoplasty were also able to go home the same day. All the patients reported excellent postoperative pain control. There was no report of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism in any of these patients. Wound complications occurred in 14 patients (21.6%), of which 12 patients had seroma (18.5%) and 2 had wound infection (3.1%). The seromas were treated with repeated aspirations or Jackson-Pratt drain placement, whereas the wound infections resolved with outpatient antibiotics. Conclusions: The safety and efficiency of outpatient abdominoplasty can be further facilitated by utilizing tumescence. Tumescence helps the patients be discharged sooner, usually the same day, mobilize sooner, and rely less on oral narcotics at home.