Managing Postoperative Infection following Breast Reconstruction with the Sientra AlloX2 Tissue Expander

Implant-based breast reconstruction is the most common reconstructive modality in the United States. Significant advances in surgical technique and technology have resulted in improvement of clinical outcomes. A recent innovation has been the introduction of a tissue expander with an integral drain that permits access to the periprosthetic space. A new use for this drain port is presented in patients with postoperative surgical-site infection.

Patients who underwent staged implant-based breast reconstruction with the Sientra AlloX2 tissue expander and experienced postoperative infection that warranted inpatient management with intravenous antibiotics were included in the study. The integral drain port was used in these patients to perform washout of the periprosthetic space at the bedside. The ability to salvage the tissue expander in the setting of infection without the need for surgical revision in the operating room was determined.

Of 31 patients who underwent a total of 52 staged breast reconstructions with the Sientra AlloX2 tissue expander, 3 patients (8.7%) with a mean age of 50.3 years (range, 34-76 years) and mean body mass index of 23.3 kg/m² (range, 22.3-24.1 kg/m²) met inclusion criteria. Salvage of the device with successful progression through expansion and eventual expander-implant exchange was achieved in 2 patients. One patient failed the salvage attempt and required removal of the device.

Using the integral drain port of the AlloX2 tissue expander has the potential for device salvage in a subset of patients with surgical-site infection without the need for surgical revision.