"In Free Flap Autologous Breast Reconstruction Frailty Is a More Accurate Predictor of Postoperative Complications than Age, Body Mass Index, or ASA class: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis on the ACS-NSQIP Database."

The Modified Frailty Index Predicts Major Complications in Oncoplastic Reduction Mammoplasty

BACKGROUND

An important component of preoperative counseling and patient selection involves surgical risk stratification. There are many tools developed to predict surgical complications. The Modified Frailty Index (mFI) calculates risk based on the following five elements: hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and functional status. Recent literature demonstrates the efficacy of the mFI across multiple surgical disciplines. We elected to investigate its utility in oncoplastic reductions (OCR).

METHODS

A retrospective review of all patients with breast cancer who underwent OCR from 1998 to 2020 was queried from a prospectively maintained database. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and surgical details were reviewed. The mFI was computed for each patient. The primary clinical outcome was the development of complications.

RESULTS

547 patients were included in the study cohort. The average age was 55 and the average body mass index was 33.5. The overall complication rate was 19% (n = 105) and the major complication rate was 9% (n = 49). Higher frailty scores were significantly associated with the development of major complications (P < 0.05). mFI scores of 0 had a major complication rate of 5.7%; scores of 1, 13%; and scores of 2, 15.1%. The relative risk of a major complication in patients with elevated mFI (>0) was 2.2. Age, body mass index, and resection weights were not associated with complications (P = 0.15, P = 0.87, and P = 0.30 respectively) on continuous analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated mFI scores are associated with an increased major complication profile in patients who are undergoing OCR. Hypertension and diabetes are the most common comorbidities in our population, and this tool may assist with preoperative counseling and risk stratification. Benefits of this risk assessment tool include its ease of calculation and brevity. Our study is the first to demonstrate its utility in OCR; however, further study in high-risk patients would strengthen the applicability of this frailty index.

Frail but Resilient: Frailty in Autologous Breast Reconstruction is Associated with Worse Surgical Outcomes but Equivalent Long-Term Patient-Reported Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Frailty is associated with higher risk of complications following breast reconstruction, but its impact on long-term surgical and patient-reported outcomes has not been investigated. We examined the association of the five-item modified frailty index (MFI) score with long-term surgical and patient-reported outcomes in autologous breast reconstruction.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients who underwent mastectomy and autologous breast reconstruction between January 2016 and April 2022. Primary outcome was any flap-related complication. Secondary outcomes were patient-reported outcomes and predictors of complications in the frail cohort.

RESULTS

We identified 1640 reconstructions (mean follow-up 24.2 ± 19.2 months). In patients with MFI ≥ 2, the odds of surgical [odds ratio (OR) 2.13, p = 0.023] and medical (OR 17.02, p < 0.001) complications were higher than in nonfrail patients. We found no significant difference in satisfaction with the breast (p = 0.287), psychosocial well-being (p = 0.119), or sexual well-being (p = 0.314) according to MFI score. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was an independent predictor of infection (OR 3.70, p = 0.002). Tobacco use (OR 7.13, p = 0.002) and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (OR 2.36, p = 0.014) were independent predictors of wound dehiscence. Dependent functional status (OR 2.36, p = 0.007) and immediate reconstruction (compared with delayed reconstruction; OR 3.16, p = 0.026) were independent predictors of skin flap necrosis. Dependent functional status was also independently associated with higher odds of reoperation (OR 2.64, p = 0.011).

CONCLUSION

Frailty is associated with higher risk of complications in breast reconstruction, but there is no significant difference in long-term patient-reported outcomes. MFI should be considered in breast reconstruction to improve outcomes in high-risk frail patients.

Frailty among patients undergoing breast reconstruction surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the predictive value of frailty for predicting postsurgical complications in patients undergoing breast reconstruction surgery.

METHODS

MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for relevant studies up to September 13, 2022. A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies were performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 statement criteria.

RESULTS

Nine studies were included in this research. The rates of overall complications (odds ratio [OR] 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-1.97, I2 = 76%; p = 0.002), wound complications (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.56-2.26, I2 = 16%; p < 0.0001), readmissions (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.61-2.34, I2 = 15%; p < 0.0001), and reoperations (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.12-1.77, I2 = 39%; p = 0.003) were significantly greater in frail patients than in nonfrail undergoing breast reconstruction surgery. Furthermore, compared with nonfrail patients, this difference remained significantly higher among prefrail individuals (overall complications: OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.13-1.41, I2 = 67%; p < 0.001, wound complications: OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.33-1.66, I2 = 24%; p < 0.0001, readmission: OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.34-1.61, I2 = 0%; p < 0.0001, reoperation: OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.23-1.42, I2 = 0%; p < 0.0001). We found that frail patients undergoing immediate autologous reconstruction surgery are the most vulnerable to experiencing overall postoperative complications.

CONCLUSION

Frailty is a strong predictor of postsurgical complications after breast reconstruction surgery in frail and prefrail patients. The most frailty index utilized was the modified five-item frailty index (mFI-5). More research is needed on this topic to assess the utility of frailty in practice, especially in countries other than the United States.

Breast reconstruction: Review of current autologous and implant-based techniques and long-term oncologic outcome

Implant-based reconstruction is the most common method of breast reconstruction. Autologous breast reconstruction is an indispensable option for breast reconstruction demanding keen microsurgical skills and robust anatomical understanding. The reconstructive choice is made by the patient after a discussion with the plastic surgeon covering all the available options. Advantages and disadvantages of each technique along with long-term oncologic outcome are reviewed.