Can drain placement ease recovery after tummy tuck surgery?
NCT ID NCT06043557
First seen Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026
Summary
This trial tests whether placing surgical drains on the side or in the middle of the abdomen feels better for patients after abdominoplasty or panniculectomy. Each participant gets both types of drains, one on each side, and then rates their comfort, pain, and ease of care. The goal is to find the ideal drain position to improve patient satisfaction and standardize practice.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Surgical drain placement (medial vs lateral)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could standardize how drains are placed in tummy tuck and panniculectomy surgeries, making recovery more comfortable for patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The outcome depends on patient surveys, which are subjective.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * age 18 or older * patient of Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery * able to sign English language Consent form * undergoing either abdominoplasty and/or panniculectomy. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with unilateral drain placement, unable to sign English language consent form * Patient under the age of 18.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
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