Cosmetic Surgery Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Cosmetic Surgery, including details on microsurgery, reconstruction, techniques, risks.

Pr09 infection rates in implant based breast reconstruction.

Friederich LJ, Corrigan EB

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Western Australia, Australia.

Infection is a potentially devastating complication of Breast Reconstruction Surgery. We retrospectively reviewed primary implant based breast reconstruction cases over a six year period at a tertiary Plastic Surgery Unit in Perth to determine both infection and explantation rates, as well as patient and operative factors which may contribute to this risk. First and subsequent reconstructive stages were included in the study with the majority of patients having had their second stage procedure. All cases were followed up for a minimum of six months post operatively. 185 implants were placed into 88 patients with an overall infection rate of 7.6% and an explantation rate of 4.3%. Most (86%) of these infections occurred following the first staged procedure. Factors which may impart a greater risk of infection included smoking, increased Body Mass Index, shorter duration of wound drains and larger implant size. Multiple antibiotic regimes of varying duration were noted, however there was no significant difference between the infected and non-infected groups. Of note, documentation was found to be poor, particularly regarding implant and pocket preparation, drain sites and their subsequent daily drainage and time of removal. Formal protocol and/or a dedicated Breast Reconstruction database may prove useful in further audit and surveillance with the aims of identifying and decreasing patient and operative risks.

Published 10 May 2007 in ANZ J Surg, 77: A64.
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