Co-surgeons in breast reconstructive microsurgery: What do they bring to the table?

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Microsurgery
• Breast Reconstruction

Background:

• Co-surgery may improve outcomes in complex bilateral procedures.
• The role of co-surgery in free flap breast reconstruction needed evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a co-surgery team on free flap breast reconstruction.
• To analyze operative efficiency and patient outcomes with co-surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 128 bilateral DIEP flap breast reconstructions (2011-2016).
• Comparison of single-surgeon reconstruction (SSR) vs. co-surgery (CSR-I and CSR-II).
• Analysis of operative time, length of stay, and complication rates.

Main Results:

• Co-surgery significantly reduced operative time and length of stay compared to single-surgeon reconstruction.
• CSR-I and CSR-II demonstrated improved efficiency over SSR.
• No increase in patient complications was observed with co-surgery.

Conclusions:

• Co-surgery, including concurrent cases, enhances operative efficiency in free flap breast reconstruction.
• The co-surgery model leads to reduced operative time, shorter patient length of stay, and fewer complications.
• This model offers a promising approach for complex bilateral breast reconstructions.