Predictors for Prolonged Drainage following Tissue Expander-Based Breast Reconstruction.

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Oncology
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Closed-suction drains are standard in tissue expander breast reconstruction.
• Prolonged drain retention negatively impacts patient quality of life and healthcare costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing drainage duration.
• To predict prolonged drain duration in patients undergoing tissue expander-based breast reconstruction.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 1056 patients (2013-2017) undergoing delayed-immediate, two-stage breast reconstruction.
• Prolonged drain duration defined as exceeding the 75th percentile (12 days).
• Multivariate analysis of patient and operation-related variables.

Main Results:

• Median drain duration was 10 days; 24.2% experienced prolonged drainage (>12 days).
• Independent risk factors for prolonged drainage included older age, high BMI, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, large/textured tissue expanders, and greater initial inflation volume.
• Acellular dermal matrix effects varied by breast size.

Conclusions:

• Patient and surgical factors significantly influence drain duration in tissue expander breast reconstruction.
• Identifying predictors of prolonged drain duration is crucial for optimizing patient care and resource management.