Antibiotics and Tissue Expanders in Breast Reconstruction

Primary Outcome Measures:

• Surgical site infection [ Time Frame: one year ]
  Surgical site infection (as defined by CDC consensus guidelines) up to 1 year after implant-based breast reconstruction
  
  

Secondary Outcome Measures:

• Surgical site infection requiring implant/expander removal [ Time Frame: one year ]
  

Surgical site infections occur in up to one-third of patients who undergo implant-based breast reconstruction following mastectomy for cancer; most of such cases require subsequent prosthetic removal. This elevated risk relative to other surgical procedures and patient populations has been attributed to cancer-related immunocompromise, foreign body placement, postoperative drainage tube maintenance, and chemoradiotherapy administration. The use of extended postoperative prophylactic antibiotics is prevalent amongst plastic surgeons despite lack of evidence supporting efficacy of such practice. Further, the National Surgical Care Initiative Project (SCIP) as sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mandates discontinuation of antibiotics by 24 hours after surgery, as further extension not only fails to reduce infection risk in the general surgical population, but also may contribute to bacterial resistance. The primary objective of this study is to compare the risk of surgical site infection in implant-reconstruction patients who receive extended prophylactic antibiotics with those who do not. In this randomized-controlled trial, women at a single institution who undergo implant-based breast reconstruction will be assigned to receive either less than 24 hours or 7 days of prophylactic postoperative antibiotics. Primary outcome measures will include development of superficial incisional, deep incisional, and organ/space surgical site infections at one year as defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Following adjustment for patient age, body mass index, comorbid disease, reconstructive timing, disease stage, adjuvant therapy, implant volume, drain use, and other procedural variables, relative risk of postoperative infection with use of extended prophylactic antibiotics will be estimated. Secondary outcome measures will include prosthetic explantation and, in cases of infection, bacteriology and antibiotic susceptibilities.