Women who choose to undergo breast reconstruction using implants after mastectomy have an increased risk of infection at the site of implant incision, a new study by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has indicated.
The study involved 949 women who underwent breast reconstruction following surgery for breast cancer. All women were admitted into a university-affiliated hospital in the three years from 1999 to 2002. Infections occurred in 5.3 percent or 50 of the 949 women within 12 months of surgery.
However the rate of infection was 12 percent in women who opted for implants instead of their own tissue for the reconstruction procedure. By contrast 6 percent of women who opted to use their own tissue for reconstruction suffered infections.
The researchers said that within an average period of 47 days infections seemed to manifest in these patients. They added that patients who had surgical site infections were hit with extra costs to the tune of $4,100. Furthermore they had to endure a longer stay at the hospital.
"Interventions to reduce the incidence of surgical site infections following breast cancer surgical procedures are essential to reduce not only morbidity in these patient populations but also costs to the individuals and to society," the authors led by Dr Margaret Olsen revealed.
Among women who had breast reduction surgery, the rate of infections was 1 percent, while it rose to 4 percent in women who had a mastectomy only.
The details of the study appear in the January issue of the Archives of Surgery.
