Efficacy of Closed Incision Negative Pressure Wound Therapy on Abdominal Donor Site After Free Flap Breast Reconstruction.

[INTRODUCTION] Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been used to treat acute and chronic wounds in a variety of scenarios. Specifically, in autologous breast reconstruction, studies investigating the use of closed incision NPWT (ciNPWT) in breast surgery are lacking.

[OBJECTIVE] The aim of this study was to analyze the use of ciNPWT at the abdominal donor site following deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] A retrospective cohort study was conducted over a 15-month period including patients who underwent abdominally based microsurgical breast reconstruction. Patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) a control group that underwent standard abdominal donor site closure and (2) an experimental group that underwent standard abdominal donor site closure plus ciNPWT. Groups were compared in terms of demographic characteristics, perioperative variables, and abdominal donor site complications.

[RESULTS] A total of 42 patients were identified. Of these, 18 were included in the control group and 24 in the ciNPWT group. No cases of seroma, abdominal bulge, or abdominal hernia were reported. Wound dehiscence developed in 2 patients (11.1%) in the control group and in 3 patients (12.5%) in the experimental group (P = 1.000). One patient (5.6%) in the control group had an infection of the donor site compared with none in the ciNPWT group (P = .429). Interestingly, 3 patients developed hyperpigmentation where the ciNPWT plastic drape was placed.

[CONCLUSIONS] The use of ciNPWT on the abdominal donor site following DIEP flap breast reconstruction did not lower the incidence of wound dehiscence and wound infection. Different approaches are needed to decrease the incidence of donor site complications in abdominally based postmastectomy breast reconstruction.