Reduction mammaplasty with adrenaline infiltration: effects on perioperative bleeding

We present a retrospective comparison of two groups of patients who underwent reduction mammaplasty with (n = 200) and without (n = 44) infiltration of a combination of a local anaesthetic and adrenaline. The vasoconstrictive effect of adrenaline reduced the intraoperative bleeding from 0.5 ml to 0.1 ml/g resected tissue. Postoperative bleeding was also reduced. Drains were omitted in 104 of the patients who had received adrenaline. In spite of this, these patients had no increases in the rates of infection, haematoma formation, or need for reoperation compared with the group that had been given drains. The practical implication is that after local infiltration of a vasoconstrictor agent post-operative drains can be omitted, at least in the Strömbeck reduction mammaplasty procedure.