Enhanced Recovery After Body-Contouring Surgery: Reducing Surgical Complication Rates by Optimizing Nutrition

Background Currently, many body-contouring patients are overweight or obese or recently have sustained massive weight loss. Often these patients need multiple surgical procedures with extensive incisions. The need for optimal healing in all these patient populations is, however, hampered by their existing nutritional deficiencies. Methods Based on the authors’ previous work (Agha-Mohammadi and Hurwitz Plast Reconstr Surg 122:604–618, 2008 ; Agha-Mohammadi and Hurwitz Plast Reconstr Surg 122:1901–1914, 2008 ), three clinical studies were initiated. The first study examined the preoperative nutritional parameters of 90 body-contouring patients. Of the 48 postbariatric patients, 38% had low prealbumin (