Perioperative pain management in abdominoplasty

Abstract

Postoperative pain after abdominoplasty can lead to various complications, ranging from atelectasis to deep vein thrombosis, and even chronic pain syndromes. For this reason, it is vital to administer proper analgesic measures to decrease pain, and in turn, avoid pain related postoperative complications. This article aims to describe the available strategies for perioperative pain management in abdominoplasty. This narrative review includes book chapters, case series, observational studies, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews, in Spanish and English, published from 2000 to 2022 in the PubMed, Embase, Proquest and Scopus databases. It was found that abdominoplasty is a frequently performed esthetic procedure that has a variable risk in injuring nerves that neighbor the muscle structures intervened. Likewise, pain during recovery can also increase the incidence of various postoperative complications such as atelectasis. Administering proper analgesic measures in abdominoplasty patients is vital in avoiding many pain related complications.