Outcomes of > 1300 Nipple-Sparing Mastectomies with Immediate Reconstruction: The Impact of Expanding Indications on Complications

Background The enhanced esthetics and demonstrated oncologic safety of nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) in selected patients have resulted in increased rates among patients with locally advanced breast cancer and/or additional risk factors (obesity, prior radiation, surgery). Limited data exist on complication and reconstruction success rates in a contemporary patient cohort with expanded indications for NSM. Methods With institutional review board (IRB) approval, patients treated from 2009 to 2017 with NSM were identified from our prospective breast surgery registry. Main outcomes were 30-day complications requiring treatment and 1-year reconstruction failure rates. Risk factors were assessed using logistic regression. Results We evaluated 1301 breasts in 769 women undergoing NSM for cancer ( n = 555) or risk reduction ( n = 746) with median age of 48 (range 21–77) years. The overall 30-day complication rate was 7.5% (97/1301 breasts) and declined from 14.8% in 2009 to 6.3% in 2017 ( p