Assessment of Patient-Reported Outcomes for Closed-Incision Negative Pressure Therapy with Wide-Coverage Dressings in Simple Mastectomy and Immediate Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction.

Abstract

Objective: A new configuration of closed-incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) dressings now covers the incision and a broader area of peri-incisional tissues. We have implemented these ciNPT dressings following simple mastectomy (SM) or skin-sparing mastectomy with implant-based reconstruction (IBR). This study assesses patient-reported outcomes of this new protocol. Approach: Patients underwent SM or IBR for breast cancer. ciNPT with wide-coverage dressings were placed over the entire breast, and -125 mmHg was applied for 14 days. Upon dressing removal, patients rated their experience using the Wound-Q™ Suction Device Scale and recorded their satisfaction on a Likert scale ranging 1-5. Results: Thirteen SM patients and 12 IBR patients were included in the study. The median age was 62 years, and SM patients were significantly older (p < 0.01). Patients rated the ciNPT device highest on items relating to its function and appearance, and lowest on noise and interference with sleep and physical activity. The overall mean score for the combined cohort was 64.8/100. The mean score for SM patients (74.8 ± 19.9) was significantly greater than for IBR patients (53.9 ± 9.6, p < 0.01). The mean overall patient satisfaction rating was 3.92 on a 5-point scale; 4.0 in the SM group and 3.8 in the IBR group. Innovation: This study is the first to report on the patient experience with these newly available wide-coverage ciNPT dressings. Conclusion: Overall, the dressing was well-tolerated by patients, and satisfaction was high. The positive reception of ciNPT with wide-coverage dressings supports continued use at our hospital.