TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmental factors associated with etiology of microbiologically confirmed reconstructive breast implant infections: impact on clinical management and treatment
AU - Franchelli, Simonetta
AU - Rossin, Alessandro
AU - Pesce, Marianna
AU - Marchese, Anna
AU - de Maria, Andrea
PY - 2020/4
Y1 - 2020/4
N2 - Even if wide differences exist in the incidence of Gram-negative infections following breast cancer implant reconstructions (2-20%), its occurrence needs to be considered to optimize antibiotic therapy, which is usually directed towards Gram-positive cocci. There is a general notion on the possible source of Gram-negative microorganisms during outdoor activities. For this reason, we administered a specific questionnaire to infected patients to investigate this aspect. In 450 consecutive implant reconstructions between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2018, 27 patients (6%) developed proven infection. For each patient, we collected age, tumor stage and recurrence, chemo/ radiotherapy, infecting microorganism, fate of implant, type and duration of antibiotic treatment, and administered a questionnaire on exposure to contaminated environments. Twenty patients (74%) had Gram-positive and 7 (26%) had implants infected by Gram-negative agents. The two groups were homogeneous as regards age and no statistically significant difference was observed for other parameters. A significant difference was detected with regard to environmental risk factors in the Gram-negative group (p=0,049). Length of antibiotic therapy was longer in the Gram-negative patients (17.4 vs 11.05 days) and antibiotic treatment was ineffective in 43% of the Gram-negative group. Environmental factors may be an element to evaluate in order to improve patient management. Surveys on larger cohorts are warranted.
AB - Even if wide differences exist in the incidence of Gram-negative infections following breast cancer implant reconstructions (2-20%), its occurrence needs to be considered to optimize antibiotic therapy, which is usually directed towards Gram-positive cocci. There is a general notion on the possible source of Gram-negative microorganisms during outdoor activities. For this reason, we administered a specific questionnaire to infected patients to investigate this aspect. In 450 consecutive implant reconstructions between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2018, 27 patients (6%) developed proven infection. For each patient, we collected age, tumor stage and recurrence, chemo/ radiotherapy, infecting microorganism, fate of implant, type and duration of antibiotic treatment, and administered a questionnaire on exposure to contaminated environments. Twenty patients (74%) had Gram-positive and 7 (26%) had implants infected by Gram-negative agents. The two groups were homogeneous as regards age and no statistically significant difference was observed for other parameters. A significant difference was detected with regard to environmental risk factors in the Gram-negative group (p=0,049). Length of antibiotic therapy was longer in the Gram-negative patients (17.4 vs 11.05 days) and antibiotic treatment was ineffective in 43% of the Gram-negative group. Environmental factors may be an element to evaluate in order to improve patient management. Surveys on larger cohorts are warranted.
KW - Antibiotic therapy
KW - Breast reconstruction
KW - Gram-negative infection
KW - Implant infection
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M3 - Article
C2 - 32310300
AN - SCOPUS:85086052790
VL - 43
SP - 78
EP - 81
JO - New Microbiologica
JF - New Microbiologica
SN - 1121-7138
IS - 2
ER -