Coumadin-induced skin necrosis of the breasts: case report.

A case report of coumadin-induced skin necrosis (CISN) is presented, followed by a topic review of CISN, which reviews presentation, pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, prevention, and management of this disorder. The prevalence of CISN is low (0.01%-0.1% of patients receiving coumadin). However, of those affected, over 50% required some form of surgical debridement or reconstruction. Although skin necrosis secondary to coumadin therapy is rare, it is essential for plastic surgeons to be aware of this clinical entity in order to make the correct diagnosis and provide appropriate treatment.

Increased hospital volume is associated with improved outcomes following abdominal-based breast reconstruction.

Previous studies of outcomes following abdominal-based breast reconstruction largely use data from single-centre/surgeon experience. Such studies are limited in evaluating the effect of operative volume on outcomes. Abdominal-based breast reconstructive procedures were identified in the 2009-2010 HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Outcomes included in-hospital microvascular complications in free flap cases (requiring exploration/anastomosis revision), procedure-related and total complications in all cases, and length of stay (LOS). High-volume hospitals were defined as 90th percentile of case volume or higher (>30 flaps/year). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of outcomes. Of the 4107 patients identified, mean age was 50.7 years; 71% were white, 68% underwent free flap reconstruction, and 25% underwent bilateral reconstruction. The total complication rate was 13.2%, and the microvascular complication rate was 7.0%. Mean LOS was 4.5 days. There were 436 hospitals; 59% of cases were performed at high-volume institutions. Patients at high-volume hospitals more often underwent free flap reconstruction compared to low-volume hospitals (82.4% vs 50.5%, p < 0.001). On unadjusted analysis, microvascular complication rates of 6.4% vs 8.2% were observed for high-volume compared to low-volume hospitals (p = 0.080). After adjusting for case-mix, high-volume hospitals were associated with a decreased likelihood of suffering a microvascular complication (OR = 0.71, p = 0.026), procedure-related complication (OR = 0.79, p = 0.033), or total complication (OR = 0.75, p = 0.004). The majority of cases nationwide are performed at a small number of high-volume hospitals. These hospitals appear to discharge patients earlier and have lower microvascular, procedure-related, and total complication rates when controlling for case-mix.

Factors associated with decision to pursue mastectomy and breast reconstruction for treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

BACKGROUND: Factors influencing the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ with mastectomy and reconstruction are poorly understood. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 196 patients presenting to one institution was performed. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients (24.0%) were treated with mastectomy, while 149 (76.0%) underwent breast-conserving surgery. Of the mastectomy patients, 28 (59.6%) elected for reconstruction. On bivariate analysis, patients who opted for mastectomy were younger than those treated with breast-conserving surgery (median age, 51.8 vs. 56.5 years; P = .017) and had higher grade tumors (50.0% vs. 34.6% grade 3, P = .009). Among patients treated with mastectomy, those who opted for reconstruction were younger than those forgoing reconstruction (49.4 vs. 56.9 years, P = .024). Race, ductal carcinoma in situ tumor size, and histologic subtype were not associated with the decision to pursue mastectomy or reconstruction (P > .05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ductal carcinoma in situ, the decision to pursue mastectomy and reconstruction appears to be driven by younger patient age and higher tumor grade.