If all the procedures were performed by the same surgeon, that would be suspicious. If not, you are carrying bacteria (skin, nasal) and/or you have a deficient immune system.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

I would not attempt to place blame in your case without knowing a lot more specifics about your infections, such as:

-- Circumstances surrounding your infections
-- Bacteria involved
-- How the infections were handle and if the infections involved the implant spaces, skin or deeper tissue

That being said, four infections is not the norm. I would be concerned about sterility at the center where the surgeries occurred. Perhaps there is a higher than normal infection rate there in general. Is sterile technique somehow broken during surgery? Here's another consideration: there are patients that, due to generic issues, are more prone to infections as well. All of these things should be taken into account.

In implant infections, I am always worried about an infection happening again, particularly if I remove an infected implant and try to immediately replace it with a new one. Studies show this can be done, but the more conservative route is to remove the implant and not replace it for several months.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

No one is to blame, but I would see an infectious disease specialist and have your nose cultured for staph.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Why use the word blame? Infection is a risk of every surgical procedure. An infection one-year following a breast implant is a little odd. You state that you had a breast implant removed and then a year later another. Why were they removed? Were you running a fever? Did you have a high white count? As you can see, there are many questions that must be answered. If you think that you may be at high risk for an infection, I would suggest a consultation with an infectious disease specialist to see if, perhaps, your immunity is compromised. Are you a diabetic? Good luck.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

I am so sorry for your situation. Infections are very rare, but even the best and most experienced surgeons will have patients with infections. To answer your question, nobody is to blame. These things just happen and are part of the risk of surgery. It keeps me up at night and is something that I truly resent about the job, but it is part of it. We do everything possible to prevent infection--double gloving, not allowing anybody other than myself to touch the implant prior to insertion, using triple antibiotic irrigation and betadine irrigation, maintaining sterility, etc. I know you have done everything you can as well.

Best of luck to you as you heal.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

That is extremely unusual. Maybe you are a carrier for Methicilin resistant Staph Aureus (Merisa).

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Sorry to hear about this. That history of many infections is quite rare. Each patient's case is different. Without detailed knowledge, it is not possible to surmise. Have a second opinion in your area. Best wishes

Published on Jul 11, 2012