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Updated: Sep 13, 2025
Endoscopic Bilateral Nipple-sparing Mastectomy via a Single Axillary Incision with Immediate Pre-pectoral Implant-based Breast Reconstruction
Published on: May 17, 2024
Prevention's Price-30-Day Outcomes of Risk-Reducing Mastectomy and Immediate Free Flap Breast Reconstruction
Samuel Knoedler1, Fortunay Diatta1, Kevin Hu1
1Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
Background:
Risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) with free flap breast reconstruction (FFBR) is increasingly utilized for breast cancer prevention. While its oncological benefits are well-established, data on perioperative safety remain limited. To address this gap, we analyzed postoperative outcomes and risk factors for complications utilizing the American college of surgeons national surgical quality improvement program (ACS-NSQIP) database.
Methods:
The American college of surgeons national surgical quality improvement program (ACS-NSQIP) (2008-2022) database was queried to identify adult female patients who underwent RRM-FFBR. Primary outcomes included 30-day rates of reoperation, readmission, and surgical or medical complications. Confounder-adjusted multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with postoperative complications.
Results:
A total of 985 patients were included, with a mean age and BMI of 46 ± 9.4 years and 31 ± 5.7 kg/m², respectively. The most common comorbidities were obesity (n = 492; 50%) and hypertension (n = 170; 17%). Complications occurred in 171 (17%) cases, with 134 (14%) reoperations and 69 (7.0%) readmissions. 125 (13%) surgical complications were recorded, the majority of which were bleeding events (n = 105; 11%). Medical complications were rare (n = 33; 3.4%). Multivariable analyses revealed that higher hypertension (OR 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-2.8; P = .017) and diabetes (OR 2.2.; 95% CI, 1.1-4.6; P = .031) were significantly associated with the occurrence of postoperative complications.
Conclusion:
This multi-institutional study revealed 30-day complication and reoperation rates of 17% and 14%, respectively, following RRM-FFBR. Hypertension and diabetes were significant predictors of postoperative morbidity. Preoperative optimization of these modifiable risk factors may help improve surgical outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of individualized patient management and informed decision-making in RRM-FFBR.
