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

Abstract

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.