Breast Revision Reconstruction

Anesthesia Implications

Position: Supine
Time: 1-2 hours (average)
Blood Loss: Low (10-50 ml)
Post-op Pain: Minimal (1-3)
Maintenance Paralytic: Ask surgeon

Position changes – Have the bed remote close. Patient may be sat up multiple times intraoperatively for the surgeon to gauge if the breasts look symmetrical. Make sure to watch the ETT and lines carefully when sitting up the patient.

Contraindicated arms – These patients are very often patients that have had breast cancer. Patients that have had lymph node dissections may have upper extremities that are contraindicated for IV and BP cuff measurements. Make sure to ask the patient and check the chart. Otherwise, you’ll want the cuff on the opposite side of the planned procedure. Placing it on the leg tends to be a good option if not contraindicated.