The effect of a pressure garment on post-surgical drainage and seroma formation in breast cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
The treatment of choice for cancer of the breast are mastectomy and axillary clearance or wide excision with axillary clearance. The most common complication following such a procedure is seroma formation. Various methods have been used to prevent it. However, the use of a pressure garment in this context has not been fully evaluated in the current literature.


RESULTS
In a randomised trial comparing patients with a pressure garment with those without one, we have found no improvement in post-operative drainage with the use of a pressure garment. There were more complications in the group without the pressure garment (19%) compared with those with the garment (15.7%). The only seroma occurred in those patients not using the garment. The use of the pressure garment appeared to increase the duration of use of the drain (6.8 vs 6.1 days), these differences in the two groups was not significant. One of the patients in the pressure garment group was unable to tolerate the warmth and discontinued wearing the garment in the third post-operative day. This gave a rejection rate of 5%.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of a pressure garment does not reduce the post-operative drainage, however, the complication rate appears to be higher when the pressure garment is not being used.
Chen
C Y
CY
Department of General Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Hoe
A L
AL
Wong
C Y
CY
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005676:Gravity Suits; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011312:Pressure