Hyperbaric oxygen treatment for skin flap necrosis after a mastectomy: a case study

The rate of complications in immediate breast reconstruction is in 15% to 20% due to partial loss of the mastectomy skin flaps. In the case of skin necrosis or ischemia, a therapy that reduces skin loss could be of additional benefit. Hyperbaric oxygen has been used to treat compromised flaps and grafts, an indication recognized and reimbursed according to the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS). So far, hyperbaric oxygen has not been previously reported as therapy for full-thickness breast skin flap necrosis on patients with a direct reconstruction with silicone implants after a skin-sparing mastectomy. This report presents such a case, in which a 52-year-old woman carrier of the BRCA2 mutation gene was successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.