Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
October 1, 1989Annals of Plastic Surgery

Infection Following Breast Reconstruction

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Authors

RARobert W. ArmstrongNewcastle UniversityRBRichard L. BerkowitzTwitter (United States)FBFern BoldingCenters for Disease Control and Prevention

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Implication

Observational study reveals high infection rates from combining immediate reconstruction and tissue expanders in post-mastectomy patients, indicating increased risk during bilateral procedures.

Key Points

  • To identify infection rates and potential risk factors associated with different implant-based breast reconstruction procedures after mastectomy.
  • Reviewed outcomes across 33 patients receiving 49 breast implantations for reconstructive surgery following simple or modified radical mastectomy.
  • Assessed infection occurrence, pathogen cultures, and implant loss across different reconstruction timings and implant types (immediate vs. delayed, permanent implants vs. tissue expanders).
  • Overall, 8 of 33 patients (24%) developed implant infections, resulting in the removal of 9 implants (18% overall implant loss rate).
  • All 8 infected patients were within the subgroup receiving immediate reconstruction with tissue expander implants (8 of 15; 53% infection rate), with risk increasing during bilateral procedures.
  • No infections occurred with delayed reconstructions or immediate permanent implants alone, and coagulase-negative staphylococcus was the most frequently isolated pathogen.

Cite This Study

Armstrong et al. (1989) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69dd4cc67808b00a4799c6e0https://doi.org/10.1097/00000637-198910000-00003
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Postoperative Infection After Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction: Risk Factors and Clinical Burden in a Large Single-Center Cohort2026 · 1 citations
  2. 2Delayed Infection of Tissue Expanders in Immediate Two-Stage Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction2026
  3. 3P-1129. Microbiologically-defined Tissue Expander Infections: Evaluating risk factors for recurrence and optimal management strategies2026
  4. 4Independent Risk Factors for Infection in Tissue Expander Breast Reconstruction2009 · 194 citations
  5. 5Dynamic insights into infection risk over time in two-stage implant-based breast reconstruction: a retrospective cohort study2024 · 9 citations