A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Life-threatening bleeding after mastectomy and deliverance by a single suture: A case-report
Authors: Tamminen, Anselm
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Publishing place: AMSTERDAM
Publication year: 2025
Journal: JPRAS open
Journal name in source: JPRAS Open
Journal acronym: JPRAS OPEN
Volume: 44
First page : 375
Last page: 378
Number of pages: 4
ISSN: 2352-5878
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpra.2025.03.024(external)
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpra.2025.03.024(external)
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/491914674(external)
Postoperative bleeding after mastectomy is rarely a life-threatening complication. However, it can be fatal without treatment, particularly in patients taking antithrombotic medications. We present a case of 84-year-old woman with atrial fibrillation and apixaban medication, who developed breast cancer requiring mastectomy. The patient experienced severe post-operative bleeding on the fifth postoperative day, with first symptoms being disorientation, stomachache, and unstable hemodynamics. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed an active bleeding site superficially in the skin flap. Unfortunately, the patient had to face a two-hour delay before emergency surgery could be performed and the oncall surgeon decided to attempt an unconventional treatment. The source of the bleeding was pinpointed using Doppler ultrasound in the emergency room, and the artery was occluded with a large needle and a figure-of-eight suture. (c) 2025 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Funding information in the publication:
Funding This study has been supported by a grant from the Cancer Society of Southwest Finland . The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
