Abstract
Postoperative wound-healing problems are relatively high in post-bariatric body-contouring procedures, partly because of electrosurgery and the associated thermal tissue damage. This study is a retrospective randomised evaluation of the effect of a low-thermal plasma dissection device (PEAK PlasmaBlade, Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota) in comparison with conventional electrosurgery. A total of 24 patients undergoing upper arm or medial thigh lifting were randomised to PEAK PlasmaBlade on one side and to monopolar electrosurgery on the other side of the same patient. Wounds of 10 patients were examined histologically for acute thermal injury depth. Significantly lower total volume of drain output (61,1 ± 70,2 mL versus 95,1 ± 176,0 mL; P = .04) was found on the PEAK PlasmaBlade side compared with the electrosurgery side. Furthermore, the PEAK PlasmaBlade side showed fewer seromas (no case of seroma versus three seromas in the electrosurgery group) and less thermal damage (40% versus 70%; P = .26). Acute thermal injury depth from the PEAK PlasmaBlade was less than from monopolar electrosurgery (425 ± 171 μm versus 686 ± 1037 μm; P = .631). PEAK PlasmaBlade appears to be superior to traditional monopolar electrosurgery for post-bariatric body-contouring procedures because it demonstrated less tissue damage, lower total volume of drain output, and fewer postoperative seromas resulting in faster wound healing.