COVID-19 Tied to Higher Risk for VTE in Patients Undergoing Panniculectomy

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.

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).

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.

“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.”

Abstract/Full Text