The Optimal Treatment for Partial Thickness Burns: A Cost-Utility Analysis of Skin Allograft vs. Topical Silver Dressings.

INTRODUCTION: Partial thickness burns not undergoing surgical excision are treated with topical silver products including silver sulfadiazine (SSD) and Mepilex Ag. Skin allograft is a more costly alternative that acts as definitive wound coverage until autogenous epithelialization. Economic constraints and the movement toward value-based care demand cost and outcome justification prior to adopting more costly products. METHODS: A cost-utility analysis was performed comparing skin allograft to SSD and Mepilex Ag using decision tree analysis. The base case modeled a superficial partial thickness 20% total body surface area burn. Utilities were derived from expert opinion on the basis of personal experience. Costs were derived from 2019 Medicare payments. Quality adjusted life years were calculated using rollback method assuming standard life expectancies in the United States. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed to asses model robustness. RESULTS: The incremental costs of skin allograft to Mepilex Ag and SSD were $907.71 and $1257.86, respectively. The incremental quality adjusted life year (QALY) gains from allograft over Mepilex Ag and SSD were 0.011 and 0.016. This yielded an incremental cost-utility ratio for allograft vs. Mepilex Ag of $84,189.29/QALY compared with an incremental cost-utility ratio of $79,684.63/QALY for allograft vs. SSD. Assuming willingness-to-pay thresholds of $100,000/QALY, probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that allograft was cost effective to Mepilex Ag in 62.1% of scenarios, and cost effective to SSD in 64.9% of simulations. CONCLUSION: Skin allograft showed greater QALYs compared with topical silver dressings at a higher cost. Depending on willingness-to-pay thresholds, skin allograft may be a considered a cost-effective treatment of partial-thickness burns.

Mastectomy skin necrosis after microsurgical breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Mastectomy skin necrosis represents a significant clinical morbidity after immediate breast reconstruction. In addition to aesthetic deformity, necrosis of the native mastectomy skin may require debridement, additional reconstruction, or prolonged wound care and potentially delay oncologic treatment. This study aims to evaluate patient and procedural characteristics to identify predictors of mastectomy skin necrosis after microsurgical breast reconstruction. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all immediate microsurgical breast reconstructions performed at a single academic center. Patient records were queried for age, diabetes, active smoking, previous breast surgery, preoperative radiation, preoperative chemotherapy, body mass index, mastectomy type, mastectomy weight, flap type, autologous flap type, and postoperative mastectomy skin flap necrosis. RESULTS: There were 746 immediate autologous microsurgical flaps performed by three plastic surgeons at our institution during the study period. The incidence of mastectomy skin flap necrosis was 13.4%. Univariate analysis revealed a significantly higher incidence of mastectomy skin necrosis in patients with higher mastectomy weight (P < 0.001), higher autologous flap weight (P < 0.001), higher body mass index (0.002), and diabetes (P = 0.021). No significant association was found for age, smoking, prior breast surgery, preoperative chemotherapy or radiation, or mastectomy type. Multivariate analysis demonstrated statistically significant associations between mastectomy skin necrosis and both increasing mastectomy weight (odds ratio 1.348 per quartile increase, P = 0.009) and diabetes (odds ratio 2.356, P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Increasing mastectomy weight and coexisting diabetes are significantly associated with postoperative mastectomy skin necrosis after microsurgical reconstruction. These characteristics should be considered during patient counseling, procedure selection, operative planning, and intraoperative tissue viability assessment.

Impact of sequencing of postmastectomy radiotherapy and breast reconstruction on timing and rate of complications and patient satisfaction.

PURPOSE: There are few long-term studies of how the sequencing of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) and breast reconstruction (BR) affects the time to development of complications or patient satisfaction with BR. We therefore studied this issue. METHODS AND MATERIALS: One hundred thirteen women who underwent BR at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, MA) from 1999-2006 and also received PMRT were included. Complications requiring surgery were categorized as early (within 90 days of BR) or late. The median length of follow-up after BR was 46.5 months. Patients' general and esthetic satisfaction was assessed with a validated questionnaire. RESULTS: Complications occurred among 32% of 57 women receiving PMRT before BR and 44% of 57 patients having BR before PMRT (p = 0.176). Early complications were more frequent in patients who had PMRT first (18%) than for those with BR first (11%) (p = 0.210); conversely, late complication rates in the two groups were 14% and 33%, respectively (p = 0.009). General satisfaction was comparable between the PMRT-first and BR-first groups (68% and 68%, respectively; p = 0.995); esthetic satisfaction rates were also similar (50% and 62%, respectively; p = 0.238). CONCLUSIONS: The sequencing of PMRT and BR did not have a substantial impact on the total risk of complications or patients' general and esthetic satisfaction. However, early complications tended to develop in patients having PMRT first, whereas patients having BR first had a higher risk of late complications. Additional study of the effects of sequencing of PMRT on particular types of reconstructions may help devise strategies for reducing these risks.

Postmastectomy radiation therapy and breast reconstruction: an analysis of complications and patient satisfaction.

The indications for postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) have expanded over the past decade. This study examines PMRT and reconstruction compared with a control group without radiotherapy. There were 919 reconstructed breasts identified (1999-2006) and separated into 3 groups: mastectomy with PMRT before reconstruction (n = 57), immediate reconstruction then PMRT (n = 59), and reconstruction without PMRT (n = 665). A validated questionnaire assessed patient satisfaction (response rate 73.7%). Overall complication rates for patients undergoing PMRT (before and after reconstruction) were higher than that of the controls (39.66% vs. 23.16%, P < 0.001). Immediate reconstruction before PMRT had increased overall and late (>90 days) complication rates, compared with controls (47.46% vs. 23.16%, P < 0.001; 33.90% vs. 15.59%, P < 0.001, respectively); however general and aesthetic satisfaction was similar. In contrast, PMRT before reconstruction has similar complication rates and general satisfaction with controls, but decreased aesthetic satisfaction (50% vs. 66.88%, P < 0.035).