Minimally invasive salvage of infected breast tissue expanders: A continuous closed irrigation technique based on surface biofilm disruption

Background: Removal of the infected device has been the general treatment for device-associated infection in antibiotic failure. There have been anecdotal attempts to salvage infected medical devices by introducing a continuous closed irrigation system. Objective: This study examines whether continuous closed irrigation of an infected device is a successful alternative to removal in patients with recalcitrant device-associated infection. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with recalcitrant periexpander infections during the course of expander-implant breast reconstruction from 2010 to 2018 were enrolled in a retrospective case-control study. Patients who failed antibiotics before 2017 underwent expander removal, but patients since 2017 underwent continuous closed irrigation of the infected expanders. Treatment details and clinical outcomes were compared. Rationale for expander irrigation was based on review of the current literature on biofilm research. Results: During the study period, 21 out of the 1176 patients were diagnosed with periexpander infection recalcitrant to antibiotic therapy. Among the 21 patients, 16 underwent expander removal and five underwent expander irrigation. Clinical outcomes were comparable in terms of resolution of infection signs. The irrigation group showed fewer patients who abandoned reconstruction after infection treatment (removal = 11/16, irrigation = 1/5). Literature review revealed that expander irrigation might have induced hydrodynamic disruption of the biofilm structure. Conclusion: Expander irrigation was less invasive than removal and effective in suppressing severe recalcitrant periexpander infection. Continuous closed irrigation of infected expander devices may be a successful antibiofilm strategy in treating device-associated infections in select patients.