261
Views
9
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Preventive effects on seroma formation with use of the harmonic focus shears after breast reconstruction with the latissimus dorsi flap

, , , , &
Pages 349-353 | Received 05 Oct 2015, Accepted 03 Mar 2016, Published online: 05 May 2016
 

Abstract

Background: Postoperative seroma is the most common complication of latissimus dorsi (LD) flap surgery for breast reconstruction. The use of EC for elevation of the flap might cause additional risk for seroma formation by injuring surrounding lymph vessels due to heat dispersion. There is a possibility that seroma formation can be prevented by using alternative devices such as harmonic focus (HF) shears that can dissect the tissue simultaneously with sealing the lymph vessels.

Methods: Forty-eight patients who underwent breast reconstruction with LD flaps since August 2011 up to April 2015 were enrolled. They were retrospectively split into two groups: 24 in group HF, 24 in group EC (conventional electrocautery). The primary outcome measures were rate of seroma formation and total volume of drain discharge and indwelling period of drainage at the anterior chest and donor site. Secondary outcome measures were length of hospital stay and duration of surgery.

Results: The incidence of seroma was 45.8% in the EC group and 20.8% in the HF group. The total volumes of the drain discharge and indwelling period of drainage in the back (donor site) were significantly decreased in the HF group. The length of the hospital stay and surgical time was significantly shorter for the HF group.

Conclusions: The use of HF shears on the LD flap donor site is helpful for reducing seroma formation, the length of the drainage period, the surgical time, and the length of the hospital stay.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

There are no offers available at the current time.

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.