Overall, prepandemic and postpandemic rates were similar, though<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n
FRIDAY, Nov. 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Patients with a history of COVID-19 undergoing panniculectomy have a significantly higher rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared with those patients without COVID-19, according to a study published in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery<\/em>.<\/p>\n Mary Newland, from Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, and colleagues assessed the risk for VTE in patients who underwent panniculectomy with a history of COVID-19. The analysis included 7,114 patients who underwent panniculectomy on prophylactic anticoagulation in the years 2017 to 2020 (“prepandemic” group; 3,015 individuals) and 2020 to 2023 (“postpandemic” group; 4,099 individuals, 790 with a history of COVID-19).<\/p>\n The researchers found the rate of VTE was not significantly different in the prepandemic (3.2 percent) versus postpandemic (3.0 percent) cohorts. There was a significant difference in VTE rates within the postpandemic cohort between patients with (4.9 percent) and without (2.5 percent) a history of COVID-19.<\/p>\n “There was no significant increase in VTE incidence after panniculectomy during the pandemic. In the patients identified with a history of COVID-19, we observed a significantly higher rate of VTE compared with those patients without,” the authors write. “Seeing as its long-term morbidity effects are yet to be fully understood, a history of COVID-19 should be carefully considered when determining VTE risk.”<\/p>\n