01 | 28 | 2008 Posted By Regan Zambri & Long

Surgical Site Infections Common Following Breast Reconstruction Surgery: New Study

Breast cancer patients who elect reconstruction surgery immediately following a mastectomy suffer substantially higher rates of surgical infection when they choose to use surgical implants, rather than their own abdominal fat, to shape their breasts.  The finding is the result of new research published in the journal Archives of Surgery. 

Among those patients in the study who elected to use breast implants, the surgical site infection rate was 12%, compared with only 6% among those who opted to forego implants.  Among non-cancer patients, only about 1% of patients experienced a post-surgical infection in conjunction with a breast reduction operation, and no infections occurred among that population during breast augmentation surgery using implants.  All patients in the study received prophylactic antibiotics at the time of surgery to reduce the likelihood of an infection.  Researchers did not examine the role radiation treatments or other cancer interventions may play in the infection rate.  Many such treatments compromise a patient's immune system. 

Surgical site infections following reconstruction surgery also cost an average of $4,100 per incident -- an amount that is not reimbursed by most managed care plans. 

Authors of the study emphasize that the bottom line of the research is that breast implants are associated with surgical infections in mastectomy patients, and that further study concerning infection prevention is necessary. 

Previously on the DC Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:

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