CiNPT for Abdominoplasties in Post-bariatric Patients Study

The overarching goal of this research is to assess whether the post-operative use of closed-incision Negative Pressure Therapy (ciNPT) accelerates healing of surgical wounds, improves surgical outcomes, and reduces the rate of local complications in high-risk, obese, post-bariatric patients undergoing abdominal body-contouring procedures (abdominal panniculectomy or "abdominoplasty") compared to standard wound care.

The investigators postulate that ciNPT can cost-effectively improve outcomes and standard of post-surgical care in this specific category of patients.

This hypothesis will be tested through a prospective, interventional, case-control, randomized clinical trial.

In the United States (US) 37% of the adult population is obese and 5% is considered morbidly obese. Similar trends have been observed in Europe and more recently in Asia. A large number of obese patients seeks treatment through bariatric surgery or diet-lifestyle changes. The resulting massive loss of weight leaves patients with an excess cutaneous tissue, requiring body-contouring procedures.

In the US 85% of post-bariatric patients seek body-contouring surgeries. Due to systemic and local factors, these procedures show a rate of local complications as high as 68-80%, significantly prolonging hospitalization and increasing treatment-related costs.

Several clinical studies have shown that external suction (Closed Incision Negative-Pressure Therapy, ciNPT) can accelerate closure of surgical wounds in patients at high-risk for impaired/delayed healing and can significantly reduce the rate of local complications. The investigators believe that ciNPT might significantly decrease the rate of minor local complications in post-bariatric patients undergoing body-contouring procedures, and that this strategy could represent a cost-effective adjuvant treatment in body-contouring procedures.

The investigators' preliminary study experience on post-bariatric obese patients undergoing an abdominoplasty and post-operatively treated with ciNPT, showed that ciNPT promotes effective and prompt wound closure minimizing peri-operative/post-operative complications in these patients. The investigators also showed that ciPNT positively impacts the length of hospitalization and the rate of secondary surgeries in these patients.

Based on this successful preliminary experience, the invetsigators here propose to validate these findings in a prospective RCT.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* previous bariatric surgery for weight loss
* candidate for/undergoing an abdominal panniculectomy (abdominoplasty)
* Residual BMI \>30 kg/m2 at the time of the operation
* Evidence of pannus (abdominal) ptosis (Pittsburgh Rating Scale \>2)
* Lipodystrophy and inelasticity of the skin
* Presence at the time of surgery of at least one local risk factor (e.g. a history or the presence of local complications such as skin blistering, recurrent erythema, panniculitis, or chronic infection; history of abdominal hernia or need for abdominal hernia repair) OR one systemic risk factor (diabetes, smoking habit, serum proteins below 6g/dL).

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe systemic co-morbidities (defined as ASA III or higher)
* Malignant tumors
* Conditions or medications affecting wound healing (e.g. steroidal drugs or keloids)
* Known allergies to components of the treatment
* Presence of severe local cutaneous complications (open wounds, extensive infections) at the time of surgery.