For women aged older than 65 years, direct-to-implant breast reconstruction is associated with a reduced number of drain days and fewer readmissions, hospital stays, and postoperative visits, with no impact on complication and failure rates compared with tissue expander/implant reconstruction, according to a study published in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Rebecca Knackstedt, M.D., Ph.D., from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review for patients who underwent direct-to-implant reconstruction from 2012 to 2015. Participants were compared with a control cohort of patients who underwent tissue expander/implant-based reconstruction from the same period.