Reductions in numbers of drain days, length of stay, readmissions, hospital days, post-op visits
MONDAY, Feb. 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For women aged older than 65 years, direct-to-implant breast reconstruction is associated with a reduced number of drain days and fewer readmissions, hospital stays, and postoperative visits, with no impact on complication and failure rates compared with tissue expander/implant reconstruction, according to a study published in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Rebecca Knackstedt, M.D., Ph.D., from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review for patients who underwent direct-to-implant reconstruction from 2012 to 2015. Participants were compared with a control cohort of patients who underwent tissue expander/implant-based reconstruction from the same period. Direct-to-implant reconstruction was performed in 24 breasts in 19 patients with follow-up of at least 30 days and in 17 breasts from 14 patients with follow-up of at least one year. Analysis of tissue expander/implant patients was performed for a control group of 109 breasts in 88 patients.
The researchers found that there was no difference between the groups in the rate of seroma, hematoma, infection, necrosis, or failed reconstruction. Significant reductions were seen in the numbers of drain days, length of stay, readmissions, extra hospital days, and postoperative visits for direct-to-implant patients.
“Direct-to-implant reconstruction is a powerful tool to use in elderly women with appropriate breast shape and ptosis,” the authors write.
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