1 Mar 2021Case Report
Iatrogenic subcutaneous emphysema in aesthetic breast augmentation. Medicolegal aspects
Emilio Trignano 1Claudia Trignano 2Manuel Baccari 1Pietro Serra 1Nicola Pili 1Elena Mazzeo 2Corrado Rubino 1
Affiliations
Article Info
1 Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, Sassari University Hospital Trust, Plastic Surgery Unit, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Legal Medicine, Sassari, Italy
Ann. Ital. Chir., 2021, 92(2), 131-134;
Published: 1 Mar 2021
Copyright © 2021 Annali Italiani di Chirurgia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate clinical results and medico-legal aspects related to the surgical procedure of mini breast augmentation. In the present case, a 28-year-old young woman with bilateral mammary hypoplasia underwent surgery, under local anesthesia, with the placement of 150 cc breast implants in the sub-glandular plane. We report a case of dramatic isolated subcutaneous emphysema without pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum to be related in terms of a causal link to the surgical procedure which the patient underwent. The plastic surgeon proceeded to replace a breast implant that presumably, represented the vehicle of transmission of the suspected pathogen responsible for the infection, to become a causal role for the infectious manifestation. This case report is an emblematic example of the need for a careful and correct surgical procedure, in order to avoid serious consequences as in the case in question, burdened by the occurrence of unsafe conditions for the patient. Compliance with the guidelines and the technical datasheet of breast implants is essential in order to avoid the concrete hypothesis of professional liability.
Keywords
- Aesthetic breast augmentation
- Breast implant
- Iatrogenic subcutaneous emphysema