System lowers breast augmentation re-operation rate by 17%.

2004 DEC 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Plastic surgeons can reduce breast implant re-operations in augmentation patients to 3% by following a new system of decision and management algorithms, according to a new report.

At the same time, these algorithms can raise patients' safety and overall satisfaction, the study, published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, also found.

During the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel hearings on silicone breast implants in October 2003, panelists expressed concern about the manufacturer's reported 20% re-operation rate for silicone breast implants.

"Although plastic surgeons began to use saline implants after silicone implants were banned by the FDA, the re-operation rates for primary breast augmentation have remained largely unchanged for more than a decade," said John Tebbetts, MD, American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) member and study author.

"We originally created these algorithms to help manage potential problems and educate patients about the benefits and risks of breast augmentation. What we also found was that the algorithms significantly reduced the rate of re-operation, increased patient safety, and made patients happier about the results of their procedure."

Directly responding to the FDA's concerns, a group of board-certified plastic surgeons formed the Breast Augmentation Surgeons for Patients Initiative (BAPSI). They adopted the algorithms from Tebbetts' practice and expanded them to address a number of clinical ...