NSW Health has published a formal ‘Toolkit for the Management of Breast Implants’, which prioritises patient safety and protection.
The new guidelines aim to:
- “inform surgeons who insert breast implants of best practice when caring for patients with breast implants or considering implants”; and
- “change the way that care is delivered”.
Professor Anand Deva, head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Macquarie University and co-author of the guidelines, told The Sydney Morning Herald: “These guidelines put a bottom line on safety.
“Doctors need to get proper, educated, informed consent from patients and make sure women have regular check-ups so problems are picked up early. Too many patients regret implants.”
Co-author Professor Mark Ashton, former president of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, added the NSW guidelines would pave the way for the national regulator “to assess whether doctors are operating within accepted standards of care”.
He noted: “It is the first time any state has had a comprehensive breast implant guide available in a public document that clearly states what we expect medical practitioners to do, and how we expect doctors to behave.
“It helps patients understand what they should be asking when they go for that first consultation.”
The 23-page Toolkit (accessible at aci.health.nsw.gov.au) calls for:
- a minimum of two in-person consultations with patients;
- pre- and post-operation ultrasounds and mammograms;
- cooling-off periods;
- reporting of implants and adverse events into the Australian Breast Device Registry; and
- ongoing surveillance of breast implants after surgery.
NSW Health has also published the ‘Consent to Medical and Healthcare Treatment Manual’ on informed consent procedures relating to healthcare treatment – and emphasises that “this is a supporting document for this Toolkit”.
The Toolkit considers three specific clinical scenarios:
- Patients who present for breast reconstruction following cancer treatment or prophylactic mastectomy.
- Patients who present for cosmetic augmentation of breasts.
- Patients who have breast implants ‘in situ’ and who are concerned about their future risk of adverse events.
The Toolkit also highlights 3 groups of “underlying health conditions that impact breast implants”:
- conditions that “prevent the use of breast implants”;
- conditions that “increase risk of a poor outcome”;
- conditions that “may increase risk of a poor outcome after surgery”.
