Trends of Autologous Free Flap Breast Reconstruction and Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Nicholas A ElmerValeria P BustosAnamika VeeramaniNatalie HassellCarly ComerSamuel MansteinJacquelyn KinneyBernard Travis LeeSamuel J LinPublished in: Journal of reconstructive microsurgery (2023)
When comparing outcomes for patients who underwent ABR prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found a significant increase in the odds of reoperation for those who had ABR during the pandemic. Debridement procedures and exploration for postoperative hemorrhage, thrombosis or infection increased from the pre-pandemic group to the COVID-19 group. Notably, operative times decreased.