November 2021
There are many functional and aesthetic benefits to lipoabdominoplasty (combination liposuction with abdominoplasty), including increase in core strength, reduction in urinary incontinence, and improvement in lower back pain.
Why this matters
There are many functional and aesthetic benefits to lipoabdominoplasty (combination liposuction with abdominoplasty), including increase in core strength, reduction in urinary incontinence, and improvement in lower back pain. This work contributes to evidence-based plastic and reconstructive surgery — helping clinicians interpret outcomes, refine technique, and counsel patients with clearer data.
Author
Plastic and reconstructive surgery resident at Emory University (UCLA BS, USC MD) with an h-index of 15 and peer-reviewed work spanning aesthetic surgery, reconstruction, medical devices, and AI in medicine.
Abstract
There are many functional and aesthetic benefits to lipoabdominoplasty (combination liposuction with abdominoplasty), including increase in core strength, reduction in urinary incontinence, and improvement in lower back pain. However, patients are still hesitant to undergo surgery due to the perceived fears of post-surgical drains, and post-operative pain. Objectives Propose a standardized multimodal pain protocol for patients undergoing lipoabdominoplasty procedures that aims to improve post-operative pain control. A total of 80 patients operated on between July 2020 and December 2021 were evaluated in this study. Patients all underwent lipoabdominoplasty and were administered a standardized pre-, intra-, and post-operative pain regimen. Pain scores were measured across all patients in the immediate post-operative period, and post-operative days 1, 7, 28, and 90. Mean pain scores in the post-anesthesia recovery unit were 0.46/10 (+/- 0.18). Subsequent reassessment in the post-op recovery suite yielded mean pain scores of 0.34 (+/- 0.15). Mean pain scores on POD1 were 1.23 (+/- 0.15), and consistent through to postoperative day 7 (POD7) at 1.24 (+/- 0.11) with patients taking an average of 6.65 total Percocet 5mg during the week. After POD7, 95% (76/80) of patients were only taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications medications. A total of 75/80 patients (93.75%) reported zero pain at 4-6 weeks after surgery (mean pain score 0.10 +/- 0.08). The multimodal analgesia protocol consisting of preoperative or immediate induction IV Tylenol, precut local analgesia with marcaine and lidocaine, and intraoperative use of liposomal bupivacaine, can improve perioperative pain control in patients undergoing lipoabdominoplasty.