The benefits of Prevena BellaForm dressing

Mr Andrew Pieri is a leading consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon based in Newcastle upon Tyne and Carlisle. In his latest article, Mr Pieri explains the potential benefits of the new Prevena Belaform dressing, a type of negative pressure therapy designed by 3M especially for use during breast surgery.  

What is negative pressure therapy?

Negative pressure therapy is a technique used when treating wounds or incisions. It can help with the healing of large wounds, especially those resulting from major surgical procedures. It works by drawing the wound together and reducing the cavity volume of the wound. It removes exudate and reduces oedema, and can also improve tissue perfusion and promote the formation of granulation tissue.

What is Prevena BellaForm?

Prevena BellaForm is a new negative pressure therapy designed by 3M specifically for use during breast surgery. It is a type of dressing shown to have many benefits over traditional dressings. These include reduced surgical site complications, reduced seroma volumes and reduced post-op aspirations. It has also been shown to cause a reduced incidence of skin necrosis and infection.  

What operations can use Prevena BellaForm?

There a number of surgeries that can benefit from the use of Prevena BellaForm negative pressure therapy. These include:

• Simple Mastectomy: the benefits of Prevena BellaForm for mastectomy include reduced post-operative seroma aspirations and reduced wound healing complications in some cases, such as in heavy smokers and previous irradiation.
• Lipomodelling/Fat transfer: Prevena BellaForm offers supportive fixation of the tissue following this procedure.
• Local pedicled volume replacement flaps: the benefits of this procedure include a decreased incidence of fat necrosis and reduced seroma. It can also improve the appearance of the scars.
• Breast implant reconstruction: There are a large number of potential benefits for breast implant reconstruction. These include a reduced incidence of seroma, reduced incidence of skin flap or nipple necrosis, a reduced infection rate, a reduced implant loss rate, and improved scar appearance.

There are a number of other procedures that can enjoy similar benefits if Prevena BellaForm is used, such as DIEP reconstruction donor site or bilateral breast reduction (mammoplasty or mastopexy).

Mr Andrew Pieri is a well-renowned consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon based in Newcastle upon Tyne and Carlise. If you have any breast health concerns, you can book a consultation with Mr Pieri via his Top Doctors profile.