Efficacy of BD indwelling catheter in seroma following modified radical mastectomy

Abstract

Objective To study the efficacy of BD indwelling catherter in patients with subcutaneous formation of seroma after modified radical mastectomy.Methods A total of 78 patients with subcutaneous seroma after modified radical mastectomy in The First Municipal People' s Hospital of Guangzhou between January 2008and December 2009 were enrolled and randomly assigned into conventional group (conventional syringe drainage)and trial group (BD indwelling catheter drainage).The total and post-operative length of hospital stay and the wound healing were analyzed and compared between groups.Results The trial group showed a significantly shorter length of hospital stay [ (13.60±3.42) days vs (18.84±6.82) days] and post-operative length of stay [ (10.23±2.66) days vs (13.97±5.74) days ] (both P＜0.05 ).The advantage was more prominent in the trial group (P＜0.05) as compared to the conventional group when patients weighed below 60 kg.Condusion BD indwelling catheter for drainage of subcutaneous seroma after modified radical mastectomy is feasible and warrants widespread use. Key words: Breast cancer; BD indwelling needle; Subcutaneous hydrops; Modified radical mastectomy