Effect of Early Removal of Wound Drains After Mastectomy or Lymph Node Dissection

Effect of Early Removal of Wound Drains After Mastectomy or Lymph Node Dissection on Clinical Outcome and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients

To compare early drain removal versus output-based drain removal, assessing the following end-points:

Clinical : risk of seroma and infection, woundhealing, duration of wound care and drain output versus volume of seroma.

Quality of life : drain-induced pain, discomfort due to seroma or drain, sleep disturbance and implications on daily activities.

Cost-effectiveness

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient scheduled for breast cancer surgery with placement of suction drainage
• Female or male
• Age > 18 years
• All stages of disease (inclusion is independent of TNM-classification)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients scheduled for breast cancer surgery without placement of suction drains
• No informed consent: Patient refuses participation OR is not able to give a written informed consent