Post-Mastectomy Surgical Pocket Irrigation With Triple Antibiotic Solution vs Chlorhexidine Gluconate: A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing Surgical Site Infections in Immediate Tissue Expander Breast Reconstruction

Antibiotic Implant Irrigation and Deep Infection: A Retrospective Study of 1508 Patients Undergoing Breast Reconstruction with Implants

BACKGROUND

Antibiotic implant irrigation is increasingly used to prevent deep infection after implant-based breast reconstruction. However, there is limited evidence of the clinical effect. In this study, the authors compare the risk of a deep infection in a Danish population of women who received antibiotic implant irrigation with either gentamicin or vancomycin, or no irrigation.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients undergoing all types of breast reconstruction with implants at Rigshospitalet and Herlev Hospital, Denmark, from 2010 to 2019. Logistic regression was used to compare the risk of deep infection between no irrigation and irrigation with gentamicin or vancomycin, and to account for the difference in risk between patient subgroups and risk factors.

RESULTS

The authors included 1508 patients who received antibiotic irrigation with gentamicin (500 patients), vancomycin (304 patients), or no irrigation (704 patients). The univariable risk analysis showed a significant decreased risk of deep infection using gentamicin irrigation compared with no irrigation (OR, 0.58; P < 0.05). However, when adjusting for risk factors for infection, there was no significant decrease in the risk of infection when using gentamicin (OR, 0.90; P = 0.71) or vancomycin (OR, 1.0; P = 0.99) compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors found no significant effect of using antibiotic implant irrigation after isolating it from risk factors for deep infection. However, because of the limitations of the study, the authors cannot conclude that there is no effect of antibiotic implant irrigation. There is a need for a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effect, and potential side-effects, of antibiotic implant irrigation.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Risk, II.

Incisional Wound Irrigation for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Importance

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common postoperative complications and associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and costs. Prophylactic intraoperative incisional wound irrigation is used to reduce the risk of SSIs, and there is great variation in the type of irrigation solutions and their use.

Objective

To compare the outcomes of different types of incisional prophylactic intraoperative incisional wound irrigation for the prevention of SSIs in all types of surgery.

Data Sources

PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and CINAHL databases were searched up to June 12, 2023.

Study Selection

Included in this study were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing incisional prophylactic intraoperative incisional wound irrigation with no irrigation or comparing irrigation using different types of solutions, with SSI as a reported outcome. Studies investigating intracavity lavage were excluded.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

This systematic review and network meta-analysis is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias within individual RCTs using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. A frequentist network meta-analysis was conducted, and relative risks (RRs) with corresponding 95% CIs were reported.

Main Outcome and Measure

The primary study outcome was SSI.

Results

A total of 1587 articles were identified, of which 41 RCTs were included in the systematic review, with 17 188 patients reporting 1328 SSIs, resulting in an overall incidence of 7.7%. Compared with no irrigation, antiseptic solutions (RR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.44-0.81; high level of certainty) and antibiotic solutions (RR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.29-0.73; low level of certainty) were associated with a beneficial reduction in SSIs. Saline irrigation showed no statistically significant difference compared with no irrigation (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.63-1.09; moderate level of certainty).

Conclusions and Relevance

This systematic review and network meta-analysis found high-certainty evidence that prophylactic intraoperative incisional wound irrigation with antiseptic solutions was associated with a reduction in SSIs. It is suggested that the use of antibiotic wound irrigation be avoided due to the inferior certainty of evidence for its outcome and global antimicrobial resistance concerns.

A systematic review of randomised controlled trials in breast reconstruction

BACKGROUND

For preference sensitive treatments, such as breast reconstructions, there are barriers to conducting randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The primary aims of this systematic review were to investigate what type of research questions are explored by RCTs in breast reconstruction, where have they been performed and where have they been published, and to thematise the research questions and thus create an overview of the state of the research field.

METHODS

Randomised controlled trials investigating any aspect of breast reconstructions were included. The PubMed database was searched with a pre-defined search string. Inclusion and data abstraction was performed in a pre-defined standardised fashion. For the purpose of this study, we defined key issues as comparison of categories of breast reconstruction and comparison of immediate and delayed breast reconstruction, when the thematisation was done.

RESULTS

A total of 419 abstracts were retrieved from the search. Of the 419, 310 were excluded as they were not RCTs concerning some aspect of breast reconstruction, which left us with 110 abstracts to be included in the study. The research questions of the included studies could more or less be divided into seven different themes inclusive of 2 key issues: Other issues - comparison of different categories of breast reconstruction, comparison of immediate and delayed breast reconstruction, surgical details within a category of breast reconstruction, surgical details valid for several categories of breast reconstruction, donor site management, anaesthetics, and non-surgical details. Only five studies compared key issues, and they all illustrate the challenges with RCTs in breast reconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

A total of 110 publications based on RCTs in breast reconstruction have been published. Seven themes of research questions could be identified. Only five studies have explored the key issues. Better scientific evidence is needed for the key issues in breast reconstruction, for example by implementing a new study design in the field.

Outcomes After Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction Following the National Institution of a Ban on Bacitracin Irrigation

BACKGROUND

The use of irrigation with bacitracin-containing solution is common among surgeons, as it was widely thought to have antibacterial properties and prevent postoperative infection. Current literature, however, suggests that antibiotic-containing irrigation confers little added benefit. On January 31, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration instituted a ban on bacitracin-containing irrigation for operative use. This study aimed to determine whether bacitracin has a beneficial effect on postoperative infection rates by analyzing infection rates before and after the Food and Drug Administration ban on bacitracin irrigation.

METHODS

A single-institution retrospective chart review was conducted. Eligible patients underwent implant-based breast reconstruction after mastectomy from October 1, 2016, to July 31, 2022. Procedure date, reconstruction type, patient comorbidities, use of bacitracin irrigation, postoperative infection, and secondary outcomes were collected. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 188 female patients were included in the study. Bacitracin use did not protect against infection in univariate or multivariable analysis. Age greater than 50 years was associated with an increased risk of postoperative infection ( P = 0.0366). The presence of comorbidities, smoker status, neoadjuvant therapy treatment before surgery, implant placement, and laterality were all not significantly associated with postoperative infection development.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study demonstrate a lack of association between bacitracin use and postoperative infection. Additional research into the optimal antibiotic for perioperative irrigation is needed, as bacitracin is not encouraged for use.

Did the National Ban on Bacitracin Irrigation Affect Infection Rates in Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction? An Analysis of a National Database

INTRODUCTION

The current standard of practice in implant-based breast reconstruction is irrigation of the mastectomy pocket with antimicrobial solution before implant placement. Prior to being banned and formally recalled in January 2020, bacitracin was a very commonly utilized antibiotic. This study characterizes the effects of the national bacitracin ban on implant-based breast reconstruction infection rates by using a nationwide database to compare complication rates before and after bacitracin was banned.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement (ACS-NSQIP) database was queried retrospectively for all patients who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction before the bacitracin ban (2012-2019) and afterwards (2020). Demographics, comorbidities, and complications were collected. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were conducted to determine if there were significant changes in wound complications, local wound infections, and systemic infections between the 2 case-control matched cohorts.

RESULTS

A total of 37,126 patients were in the pre-ban cohort and 6333 patients were in the post-ban cohort. Before matching, there were significant differences in race distribution, BMI, ASA class, inpatient vs. outpatient status, preoperative smoking, and preoperative diabetes mellitus (all P < .05). After case-control matching, there were 6313 patients in each cohort. Univariate analysis revealed differences in postoperative superficial and organ space surgical site infection, wound complications/infections, all cause complications, and reoperations (all P < .05). Multivariate analysis showed that patients who underwent breast reconstruction before the ban had decreased odds of having wound infections, related infections, all cause complications, and reoperations (all P < .05).

CONCLUSION

This study provides a macroscopic view into the effects of the formal injectable bacitracin ban on breast reconstruction outcomes. Patients who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction after the ban of injectable bacitracin had higher odds of developing wound infections, related infections, and reoperations. More study into suitable alternatives to injectable bacitracin for surgical site antimicrobial irrigation is warranted.

Pharmacological Approaches for the Prevention of Breast Implant Capsular Contracture

Capsular contracture is a common complication associated with breast implants following reconstructive or aesthetic surgery in which a tight or constricting scar tissue capsule forms around the implant, often distorting the breast shape and resulting in chronic pain. Capsulectomy (involving full removal of the capsule surrounding the implant) and capsulotomy (where the capsule is released and/or partly removed to create more space for the implant) are the most common surgical procedures used to treat capsular contracture. Various structural modifications of the implant device (including use of textured implants, submuscular placement of the implant, and the use of polyurethane-coated implants) and surgical strategies (including pre-operative skin washing and irrigation of the implant pocket with antibiotics) have been and/or are currently used to help reduce the incidence of capsular contracture. In this article, we review the pharmacological approaches-both commonly practiced in the clinic and experimental-reported in the scientific and clinical literature aimed at either preventing or treating capsular contracture, including (i) pre- and post-operative intravenous administration of drug substances, (ii) systemic (usually oral) administration of drugs before and after surgery, (iii) modification of the implant surface with grafted drug substances, (iv) irrigation of the implant or peri-implant tissue with drugs prior to implantation, and (v) incorporation of drugs into the implant shell or filler prior to surgery followed by drug release in situ after implantation.