Early removal of drains and the incidence of seroma after breast surgery

Background Women undergoing surgery for primary breast cancer routinely have suction drains inserted deep to the wounds. A lack of data exists in relating how long suction drains should stay in situ after major breast surgery. Purpose This study evaluates the appropriate timing of drain removal by comparing the 5-day-long postoperative drainage or drain removal when less than 50 mL/24 h to conventional drain removal. Methods This controlled clinical trial was undertaken between February 1997 and May 2012 with a total of 214 consecutive patients who underwent elective total or partial mastectomy with level II axillary lymph node dissection. The main outcome measures included the length of hospital stay, and surgical morbidity, especially seroma formation. Results In the study group, the age and operation time were significantly increased compared to the conventional group whereas the median hospital stay was significantly shorter in the study group than the control group (7 days vs. 9 days; p