Late breast implant infection after severe pneumonia – a case report and literature review

Late infection associated with breast implants is an uncommon but potentially serious complication in patients undergoing breast reconstruction. These infections are rare, poorly documented and may present many years after the initial surgery. We present the case of a 60-year-old woman with a history of mastectomy and breast reconstruction with an implant, who developed a late implant infection nine years after surgery following a severe pneumonia which required intensive care unit stay and intravenous antibiotherapy regime. Despite multiple antibiotic regimens, the patient required implant removal. Sonication of the explanted implant identified Staphylococcus epidermidis, highlighting the diagnostic utility of this method. This case underlines the need to consider late implant infections in patients with inflammatory breast symptoms, even years after reconstruction. Implant sonication improves microbiological diagnosis and surgical removal remains the definitive treatment when medical therapy fails.