The most common complication after breast cancer surgery

Surface treatment of breast cancer surgery is surgery, but a wider range of surgery, trauma larger, it also can occur after a variety of complications. And breast cancer-related complications are common:

Easy bleeding after breast cancer

First, the bleeding is a common complication after surgery. Line excision or radical resection may have such complications. Bleeding often causes:

1, intraoperative bleeding is not complete, and the remaining active bleeding point;

2, after the application of continuous negative pressure drainage, postural changes or severe coughing and other reasons to make the blood clot coagulation or ligation of the thread slip off, causing drainage bleeding;

3, preoperative chemotherapy or hormone drugs oozing from the wound easily.

Thorough intraoperative bleeding, especially in parasternal intercostal artery perforator ligation to cope; on muscle bleeding stump and profiles should be aware that ligation or electrocoagulation; of surgery, and carefully check for flushing out the wound with active bleeding ; Note drainage tube placed, the appropriate compression bandage to help prevent postoperative bleeding; Also pay attention to postoperative suction drainage tube patency and drainage, drainage of fluid nature of the clotting mechanism has to be for the cause of poor patients timely symptomatic treatment.

Breast cancer after the accumulation of liquid

Second, fluid refers to the flap and the chest wall or axilla is fluid accumulation, caused by flap can not close the wound. It is also a common complication after breast cancer one. Common reasons are:

1, poor drainage, so that the wound exudate can lead to the accumulation of time;

2, the wound clot formation in blood coagulation, can not be drained, after the formation of fluid liquid;

3, lymph node dissection of fat around the axillary vein, some minor damage but not ligation of lymphatic vessel formation associated with poor drainage of fluid, generally occurs in the axillary lateral;

4, electric knife dissection axillary vein fluid when the opportunity for many more using the scalpel, electric knife may be the healing of the wound to a certain extent, and by the small electrocautery dissection of the lymph vessels after the temporary closure of the negative pressure After the opening there attract, causing fluid;

5, in addition, Ambassador of flap tension is too difficult to cover the wound and drainage tube removed too early and has some relationship.

Axillary dissection when patients found to have small exudate should be neutered, to reduce the tension flap, maintaining negative pressure smooth, appropriate compression bandage will help reduce the incidence of effusion. In case of effusion, can be repeated if the small amount of empty needle aspiration; if larger or more times the amount of suction is invalid, it is desirable or a skin graft replacement suction drainage and compression bandaging.

Skin flap necrosis after breast cancer

Third, flap necrosis is a common complication after breast cancer, due to delayed healing of skin graft necrosis may affect the subsequent treatment. Radical mastectomy more often required removal of the skin, coupled with the scope of the separation of large flap, flap dissection too thin or uneven thickness, will influence the destruction of the dermis flap capillary blood supply; or flap suture tension is too large, when the wound fluid can cause skin flap necrosis; sometimes use the electric knife for local skin burn caused by improper operation or embolization of vascular coagulation and can lead to flap necrosis. 24 hours after flap necrosis that generally see the pale skin of ischemia, and gradually was black and blue swelling, small blisters on the surface, 3 to 7 days to gradually clear the boundaries of necrotic areas, the skin gradually black hard scab form.

Reasonable design before surgery incision, avoiding the side of the flap is too long; attention to the level of separation flap to reduce flap tension, if necessary, to skin graft; avoid fluid, appropriate dressing and other measures will help reduce skin flap necrosis . If flap necrosis occurs in the necrotic area boundary was removed after the flap necrosis. If the cut edge of the necrotic area of ​​less than 2cm, wet packing them in after debridement, dressing changes, often self-healing; necrotic area of ​​skin graft should be larger; if the necrotic area is large and when patients are unwilling to accept the skin graft, often makes delayed wound healing, and often has white skin after the meager growth, friction and damage easily after.

Postoperative edema in breast cancer

Fourth, upper extremity edema after radical mastectomy, the upper back by the lymphatic and blood disorders can lead to upper extremity edema, upper extremity edema in various reports since the incidence of 5% to 40% range. In recent years, the incidence rate of severe upper extremity edema decreased significantly, no more than 5%. Upper back causing a serious obstacle to the reasons:

1, axillary dissection properly, the partial destruction of collateral circulation. In the past to the lymph fat around the axillary vein anatomy, and often the axillary sheath will be removed at the same time also affect the operation of the lymphatic flow, thus no significant surgery such as swelling large lymph nodes, axillary vascular sheath time to dial in addition will, in fact, violations of axillary lymph nodes if axillary sheath, often have non-surgical cure can fully meet the purpose.

2, axillary have fluid or infection, causing local congestion, fibrosis, scar formation prevents the establishment of collateral circulation.

3, after the clavicle, and the next area and axillary radiation therapy, causing local edema, connective tissue proliferation, followed by local fibrosis caused by edema.

Upper extremity edema can result in a few days after surgery after a few years, swelling often part of the upper arm, forearm or back of the hand may. Upper limb function after exercise regularly, avoid heavy manual labor for upper limb and to avoid infection of the upper extremity can reduce the incidence of upper extremity edema. Once the application of upper extremity edema only symptomatic treatment to reduce edema.

Muscle atrophy after breast cancer operation

V, upper limb and hand muscle atrophy often due to surgery or sheath caused by brachial plexus injury, commonly a hypothenar muscle atrophy.