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. 2014 Sep;134(3):448-454.
doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000000428.

Post-bariatric surgery body contouring treatment in the public health system: cost study and perception by patients

Jordi Vilà Poyatos  1 , José María Balibrea Del Castillo, Benjamí Oller Sales, Antonio Alastrué Vidal
Affiliations

Post-bariatric surgery body contouring treatment in the public health system: cost study and perception by patients

Jordi Vilà Poyatos et al. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014 Sep.

Erratum in

  • Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014 Dec;134(6):1436. Poyatos, Jordi Vilà [corrected to Vilà, Jordi]Balibrea del Castillo, José María [corrected to Balibrea, José María]Sales, Benjamí Oller [corrected to Oller, Benjamí]Vidal, Antonio Alastrué [corrected to Alastrué, Antonio]

Abstract

Background: Post-bariatric, body contouring surgery to treat the sequelae of massive weight loss is an undervalued topic by patients and in most of the literature. The objective of this study was to determine the mean cost per patient of this treatment in a public morbid obesity unit, and compare it with the perception by the patients.

Methods: Costs were estimated using a specific Diagnosis-Related Group-based method and a questionnaire in a sample of 100 patients who had completed body contouring treatment.

Results: This study included 23 men and 77 women with a mean age of 48.5 years, a mean reduction of body mass index of 20.77 kg/m, and a median follow-up of 58 months. These patients had undergone surgery, as needed, as follows: on the lower part of the trunk (109 operations; mean cost, &OV0556;6348.6), cruroplasty (43 operations; mean cost, &OV0556;3490), brachioplasty (28 operations; mean cost &OV0556;3150), and the upper part of the trunk (10 operations; mean cost, &OV0556;4290). The rate of complications has been high (up to 50 percent) and, although the more severe complications are rare (10.5 percent Clavien grade IIIb), these represent high costs (mean, &OV0556;24462.6). Forty-five patients answered the questionnaire. Although they think that this surgery improves their quality of life, they have undervalued its total cost (17.58 percent; &OV0556;2034) (p = 0.16).

Conclusions: The average cost of post-bariatric surgery body contouring treatment in this unit is &OV0556;8263.95 (1.66 operations per patient). The severe complications increase by 2.96 times the average cost per patient.

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