Does the dominant hand’s use affect the complication rates in prosthetic breast reconstruction?

Background@#Numerous studies have investigated risk factors for unfavorable outcomes in prosthetic breast reconstruction, such as obesity, perioperative radiotherapy, and acellular dermal matrix use. However, no reports have explored whether the use of the dominant hand influences complications in breast reconstruction. To address this gap in the literature, analyzed complication rates between the dominant and non-dominant sides after reconstruction. @*Methods@#We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 160 patients (170 breasts) who underwent breast reconstruction from February 2017 to March 2022. We analyzed the complications between beasts on the dominant and non-dominant sides according to the reconstruction method. @*Results@#During prosthetic breast reconstruction, the drainage volume and duration on the dominant side exceeded those on the non-dominant side after reconstruction (duration: 9.79 days on the dominant side vs. 9.12 days on the non-dominant side, P=0.196; volume: 771.1 mL on the dominant side vs. 654.3 mL on the non-dominant side, P=0.027). The incidence of complications such as wound dehiscence, mastectomy flap necrosis, and infection was significantly higher in the dominant hand group (infection: 6 vs. 0, P=0.014; dehiscence: 15 vs. 4, P=0.009; flap necrosis: 13 vs. 4, P=0.024). @*Conclusions@#Complications including seroma, infection, and mastectomy skin flap necrosis following prosthetic reconstruction were common in breasts on the dominant-hand side. Therefore, meticulous management and restriction of shoulder movement can aid in preventing seroma-related complications in prosthetic breast reconstruction, especially on the side of the dominant hand.

Effectiveness of a postoperative continuous irrigation system via a catheter following implant-based breast reconstruction

Background@#Implant-based breast reconstruction is a technique frequently used for breast reconstruction. Infection and inflammation are considered to be the most troublesome complications of implant-based breast reconstruction and can lead to capsular contracture or implant failure. To date, however, only a few methods have been proposed to prevent these complications. Therefore, the authors introduce a simple irrigation system using indwelling drain catheters to decrease postoperative inflammation. @*Methods@#Continuous saline irrigation was performed once per day for 3 days immediately after prosthesis-based breast reconstruction. Normal saline (500 mL) was inserted into the implant pocket through a superomedial-oriented drain catheter and drained through an inferolateral-oriented drain catheter using a suction device. Inflammatory indicators, including C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell count (WBC), and postoperative complications were compared between the non-irrigation and irrigation groups. @*Results@#This study included 37 patients divided into two groups (20 non-irrigation and 17 irrigation). An analysis of inflammatory indicators revealed that the peak CRP level in the irrigation group was significantly lower than that in the non-irrigation group, while no statistically significant differences were found for the other mediators (ESR and WBC). In the immediate postoperative period, continuous irrigation effectively washed out tissue debris and blood clots within the implant pocket, which helped maintain the function of the drain catheter and decrease pro-inflammatory mediators. @*Conclusions@#This irrigation method was simple and cost-effective for decreasing inflammation within the breast pocket. Furthermore, it can also be applied to infected breast pockets in combination with antibiotics.

Fat Graft with Allograft Adipose Matrix and Magnesium Hydroxide-Incorporated PLGA Microspheres for Effective Soft Tissue Reconstruction

BACKGROUND@#Autologous fat grafting is one of the most common procedures used in plastic surgery to correct soft tissue deficiency or depression deformity. However, its clinical outcomes are often suboptimal, and lack of metabolic and architectural support at recipient sites affect fat survival leading to complications such as cyst formation, calcification.Extracellular matrix-based scaffolds, such as allograft adipose matrix (AAM) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA), have shown exceptional clinical promise as regenerative scaffolds. Magnesium hydroxide (MH), an alkaline ceramic, has attracted attention as a potential additive to improve biocompatibility. We attempted to combine fat graft with regenerative scaffolds and analyzed the changes and viability of injected fat graft in relation to the effects of injectable natural, and synthetic (PLGA/MH microsphere) biomaterials. @*METHODS@#In vitro cell cytotoxicity, angiogenesis of the scaffolds, and wound healing were evaluated using human dermal fibroblast cells. Subcutaneous soft-tissue integration of harvested fat tissue was investigated in vivo in nude mouse with random fat transfer protocol Fat integrity and angiogenesis were identified by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. @*RESULTS@#In vitro cell cytotoxicity was not observed both in AAM and PLGA/MH with human dermal fibroblast.PLGA/MH and AAM showed excellent wound healing effect. in vivo, the AAM and PLGA/MH retained volume compared to that in the only fat group. And the PLGA/MH showed the highest angiogenesis and anti-inflammation. @*CONCLUSION@#In this study, a comparison of the volume retention effect and angiogenic ability between autologous fat grafting, injectable natural, and synthetic biomaterials will provide a reasonable basis for fat grafting.