Geographic Variation in Breast Reconstruction Modality Use Among Women Undergoing Mastectomy.

PURPOSE: Despite changes in legislation and an increase in public awareness, many women may not have access to the various types of breast reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate variation in reconstructive modality at the health service area (HSA) level and its relationship to the plastic surgeon workforce in the same area. METHODS: Using the Arkansas, California, Florida, Nebraska, and New York state inpatient databases, we conducted a cross-sectional study of adult women undergoing mastectomy for cancer from 2009 to 2012. The primary outcomes were receipt of reconstruction and the reconstructive modality (autologous tissue versus implant) used. All data were aggregated to the HSA level and augmented with plastic surgeon workforce data. Correlation coefficients were calculated for the relationship between the outcomes and workforce. RESULTS: The final sample included 67,984 women treated across 103 HSAs. The average patient was 58.5 years, had private insurance (53.5%), and underwent unilateral mastectomy for invasive cancer. At the HSA level, the median immediate breast reconstruction rate was 25.0% and varied widely (interquartile range, 43.2%). In areas where reconstruction was performed, the median autologous (10.2%) and free tissue (0.4%) reconstruction rates were low, with more than 30% of HSAs never using autologous tissue. There was a direct correlation between an HSA's plastic surgeon density and autologous reconstruction rate (r = 0.81, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite efforts to remove financial barriers and improve patients' awareness, accessibility to various modalities of reconstruction is inadequate for many women. Efforts are needed to improve the availability of more comprehensive breast reconstruction care.

Added Healthcare Charges Conferred by Smoking in Outpatient Plastic Surgery.

BACKGROUND: A history of smoking confers additional risk of complications following plastic surgical procedures, which may require hospital-based care to address. OBJECTIVES: To determine if patients with a smoking history experience higher rates of complications leading to higher hospital-based care utilization, and therefore greater healthcare charges, after common outpatient plastic surgeries. METHODS: Using ambulatory surgery data from California, Florida, Nebraska, and New York, we identified adult patients who underwent common facial, breast, or abdominal contouring procedures from January 2009 to November 2013. Our primary outcomes were hospital-based, acute care (hospital admissions and emergency department visits), serious adverse events, and cumulative healthcare charges within 30 days of discharge. Multivariable regression models were used to compare outcomes between patients with and without a smoking history. RESULTS: The final sample included 214,761 patients, of which 10,426 (4.9%) had a smoking history. Compared to patients without, those with a smoking history were more likely to have a hospital-based, acute care encounter (3.4% vs 7.1%; AOR = 1.36 [1.25-1.48]) or serious adverse event (0.9% vs 2.2%; AOR = 1.38 [1.18-1.60]) within 30 days. On average, these events added $1826 per patient with a smoking history. These findings were consistent when stratified by specific procedure and controlled for patient factors. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing common outpatient plastic surgery procedures who have a history of smoking are at risk for more frequent complications, and incur higher healthcare charges than patients who are nonsmokers.

Lymph node status in inflammatory breast cancer.

Positive lymph node status in breast cancer is known to be an adverse prognostic factor, but the effect of lymph node (LN) status in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) has not been evaluated. This study was designed to investigate the association between lymph node status and overall survival (OS) in individuals with IBC. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 registry, we collected data on 761 patients diagnosed with non-metastatic IBC from 2004 to 2008. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to evaluate univariate and multivariate associations between estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) status, treatment, and OS. Positive nodal status was associated with a significant decrease in OS (p < 0.001). Five-year survival for LN-positive and LN-negative patients was 49 and 66 %, respectively. In node-positive patients, ER or PR positivity was associated with improved OS, (p = 0.025, p = 0.007). In node-positive patients, the combination of surgery and radiation therapy improved OS when compared with surgery alone (p = 0.002). Nearly 80 % of the patients in this study had nodal metastasis. Positive nodal status was found to be an adverse prognostic factor. ER/PR positivity and treatment with surgery and radiation in node-positive patients was found to improve outcomes. Further studies are required to characterize the biology of IBC and guide the optimal treatment of this disease.

Obesity is associated with increased health care charges in patients undergoing outpatient plastic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with greater rates of surgical complications. To address these complications after outpatient plastic surgery, obese patients may seek care in the emergency department and potentially require admission to the hospital, which could result in greater health care charges. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of obesity, postdischarge hospital-based acute care, and hospital charges within 30 days of outpatient plastic surgery. METHODS: From state ambulatory surgery center databases in four states, all discharges for adult patients who underwent liposuction, abdominoplasty, breast reduction, and blepharoplasty were identified. Patients were grouped by the presence or absence of obesity. Multivariable regression models were used to compare the frequency of hospital-based acute care, serious adverse events, and hospital charges within 30 days between groups while controlling for confounding variables. RESULTS: The final sample included 47,741 discharges, with 2052 of these discharges (4.3 percent) being obese. Obese patients more frequently had a hospital-based acute care encounter [7.3 percent versus 3.9 percent; adjusted OR, 1.35 (95% CI,1.13 to 1.61)] or serious adverse event [3.2 percent versus 0.9 percent; adjusted OR, 1.73 (95% CI, 1.30 to 2.29)] within 30 days of surgery. Obese patients had adjusted hospital charges that were, on average, $3917, $7412, and $7059 greater (p < 0.01) than those of nonobese patients after liposuction, abdominoplasty, and breast reduction, respectively. CONCLUSION: Obese patients who undergo common outpatient plastic surgery procedures incur substantially greater health care charges, in part attributable to more frequent adverse events and hospital-based health care within 30 days of surgery. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, II.