According to a study published in the Archives of Surgery on January 21, 2008, breast cancer patients whose post-mastectomy reconstructive procedure used implants rather than their own tissue face double the risk of infection.

The study involved examination of the records of 949 St. Louis surgery patients treated at Barnes-Jewish Hospital between 1999 and 2002. Fifty of those individuals were treated for an infection in the surgically effected area within 12 months of their procedure.

In approximately 12 percent of cases infections occurred immediately in the presence of implants as opposed to 6 percent of cases where abdominal tissue was used. In patients with no cancer who underwent breast reduction, infection appeared in approximately 1 percent of cases with a zero infection rate in implant augmentation procedures for cancer-free individuals.

Both methods of reconstruction carry a potential for complications. Surgery using abdominal tissue takes longer raising the potential for blood clots and embolism. Tissue death results in 2 percent of patients causing a need for subsequent surgeries.

In the case of implants, the body may interpret the implant as a foreign body and produce scar tissue to isolate it, a condition known as capsular contracture. Additionally, bacteria can grow on the surface of the implant. Multiple procedures may be required with the implant method if skin-stretching is required to create room for the device. A final procedure is required to attach a nipple. The greater the number of needed surgeries, the greater the risk of infection.