May a correlation exist between preoperative depression and anxiety levels and wound healing complications following reduction mammoplasty in the overweight female

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between preoperative levels of depression and anxiety, and postoperative wound healing complications and the duration of hospital stay among overweight or obese women with macromastia who underwent reduction mammoplasty. Fifty overweight or obese women with symptomatic macroplastia who underwent bilateral reduction mammoplasty at our department were included in this prospectively designed study. Preoperative levels of depression were evaluated using Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS). Patients mean preoperative BMI ranged from 25.82 to 46.75 kg/m2, with a mean of 34.36±6.68 kg/m2. Total weight of the specimens resected from both breasts ranged from 1500 to 3600 g, with a mean of 2824±543.63 g. The mean HAM-D score of the patients was 14.74±12.54, the mean HAM-A score was 12.30±9.62. Postoperative minor surgical complications occurred in 15 (30%) patients. Any major complication was not developed in any patient. In terms of the development of complications any statistically significant difference was not observed between depressive (n=28) and non-depressive patients (n=22), and between preoperatively anxious (n=34) and non-anxious patients (n=16) (p=0.32 and p=0.597, respectively). In terms of the the duration of hospital stay, present study showed significant differences between depressive and non-depressive and between preoperatively anxious and non-anxious patients (p<0.001 and p<0.01, respectively). Overweight or obese women with symptomatic macromastia who applied to the hospital for reduction mammoplasty had mild depression and minor anxiety preoperatively. As the severity of preoperative depression, and anxiety increases, postoperative surgical wound healing complications and duration of hospital stay increase.