The Breast: A Clean-Contaminated Surgical Site

Abstract

The breast harbors significant endogenous bacteria that can become the source of spontaneous or postoperative infection. Positive intraoperative cultures with high quantitative counts suggest that breast tissue harbors more bacteria than normal skin flora. Routine perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis may be suboptimal for the prevention of foreign body seeding in this setting. Furthermore, bacterial concentrations are highest in areas with the most ductal tissue, namely the periareolar region. These findings may be helpful when considering which incision site to select for augmentation mammaplasty.