Dormant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection seven years post-augmentation mastopexy: A case report

Around 1% of all complications associated with breast implants are attributable to infection, classified as acute, subacute, or late-onset, with late-onset infections being the rarest. Even when symptoms are not obvious, an infection may still be lingering. Sub-clinical presentations have been implicated in the pathophysiology of breast implant capsular contracture. Organisms can establish dormancy through biofilm formation, and can also be idiopathically activated, and present as a late-onset infection, as has been clearly described in the literature with the infamous Enterococcus avium.

We report the case of a 44-year-old woman who underwent bilateral augmentation mastopexy seven years ago complicated by an acute perioperative infection that was resolved with a full course of antibiotics. She presented to the clinic complaining of left breast pain and swelling accompanied by fever for four days. Ultrasonic imaging showed moderate peri-implant fluid positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa upon aspiration. The patient therefore underwent bilateral breast exploration and capsulectomy.

We believe that the dormant P. aeruginosa contributed to the capsular contracture and was idiopathically activated, manifesting as a late-onset infection seven years post-augmentation mastopexy.

To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies or case reports have described a late-onset infection due to idiopathic activation, where dormant P. aeruginosa is isolated from an implant capsule many years after augmentation mastopexy. More studies are required to examine the role of dormant bacteria in capsular contracture and their idiopathic activation considering the consequences on patient outcomes.