Abstract 4521: Quilting of flaps reduces drain effluent without significantly increasing duration of surgery in mastectomy a low resource setting

Abstract Introduction: Mastectomy is the most common surgical procedure for breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Following mastectomy, patients usually require a drain to be inserted to prevent seroma formation. Several strategies are used to reduce the both the quantity of effluent and the duration a patient has to have the drain inserted. Methods: We did a prospective trial where patients were randomized to either use of quilting with 2-0 vicryl sutures or lack of quilting in order to reduce the post operative drain volume and the post operative period during which the drain will be in situ. Consecutive patients who are scheduled for mastectomy were randomized to either quilting or non-quilting of the skin to the pectoralis muscle. Duration of surgery was recorded. Consecutive daily volumes of drain effluent were documented until removal of the drain. Number of days before drain removal as well as body mass index and other parameters were recorded. Results: A total of 63 patients were recruited. Forty patients were randomized to non-quilting whilst 23 patients were randomized to quilting. The demographic data, stage of the disease and body mass index of the patients in the two categories were similar. The age range was 22 to 82 years. With mean age of 49.8 and median age of 48 years. The number of days before removal of drain ranged from 3 to 10 days with mean of 6.62 days and mode of 6 days. Mean daily drain effluent was 55 to 237mls with a mean of 134.5mls and median of 136mls while total drain effluent ranged between 166 to 2,173mls with mean of 938.1mls and median of 846 mls. Independent t-test revealed that there was a statistically significant difference in duration of drain insertion, mean daily drain effluent and total drain effluent between the two groups. There was however no statistically significant difference in the duration of surgery between the two groups. Conclusion: It is recommended that surgeons should quilt between the skin and pectoralis muscle in order to reduce the duration of drain insertion, daily drain effluent and total drain effluent following mastectomy in patients with breast cancer. Citation Format: AbdulRazzaq O. Lawal, Jimoh O. Hassan, Adewumi Alabi, Oluwole A. Atoyebi. Quilting of flaps reduces drain effluent without significantly increasing duration of surgery in mastectomy a low resource setting [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 4521.