title: Comorbid risk factors in TRAM flap failure.
abstract: Women having transverse abdominal muscle (TRAM) breast reconstruction have often suffered through mastectomy, perhaps chemotherapy, and certainly survived a brush with death. To finally reach a time when the missing breast can be reconstructed affords them a sense of return to normally. Unfortunately for some women, the risk of complications looms large. The purpose of this paper is to address the co-morbid risk factors for TRAM flap failure and the nurses' role in minimizing their impact.
authors.affiliation: Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Fritzsche
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000637:transplantation*; D001940:Breast / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy; D024802:Nurse's Role; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D017211:Treatment Failure