In Vitro Evaluation of Common Antimicrobial Solutions Used for Breast Implant Soaking and Breast Pocket...

Planktonic bacteria can be inadvertently introduced during breast surgery procedures, which are hypothesized to lead to complications such as infection, capsular contracture, breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, and a prolonged local inflammatory response. The utilization of antimicrobial solutions such as triple antibiotic solution (TAB) and/or 10% povidone-iodine (PI) in breast pocket irrigation or implant soaking has been proposed to reduce planktonic bacterial attachment and potential complications.

A series of in vitro assessments were performed to evaluate the antimicrobial utility of TAB and PI, either alone or in combination, against planktonic bacteria.

Planktonic gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains were exposed to TAB and PI ± TAB for up to 10 minutes in a bacterial time-kill assay. The efficacy of various dilutions of PI as well as the effects of serum protein on PI efficacy were also investigated.

TAB was ineffective at the timeframes tested (≤10 minutes) when utilized alone; however, when utilized with PI, significant log reduction of all tested planktonic species was achieved. PI alone was also effective, even including dilute concentrations (eg, 0.5% PI), although the presence of serum proteins required higher concentrations of PI (eg, 2.5%) to eradicate the bacterial load.

Our data suggest PI-containing solutions may be preferred over either saline or TAB without PI for primary breast pocket irrigation and implant soaking in primary breast surgeries as a means to significantly reduce planktonic bacteria. These data provide an impetus for surgeons to re-evaluate the efficacy of TAB solution in these clinical settings.