Author(s)
Soroush Farnoosh MD
Mark F. Marzouk MD
Affiliation(s)
Upstate University Hospital
Abstract:
Educational Objective: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be able to compare the differences in rates of seroma formation after parotidectomy in patients with drain versus in patients without a drain, as well as patients with an active negative pressure suction drain and patients with a passive drain. We also discuss how the type of drain can increase the length of hospital stay without significantly changing the complication rate. Objectives: To compare the rates of postoperative complications related to drain placement versus no drain placement in patients who undergo parotidectomy and determine if the type of drain (active vs. passive) would affect the length of hospital stay after surgery. Study Design: Retrospective analysis. Methods: Clinical charts of patients who underwent total or superficial parotidectomy were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who underwent concurrent neck dissection or wide local excision of skin were excluded. Age, gender, type of drain, closure, complications, length of hospital stay, size of the specimen, and pathology were recorded. ANOVA, T-test, and chi-squared test were used to analyze the data. Results: 157 patients met our inclusion criteria. Fifteen (9.5%) patients developed seroma postoperatively. The rate of seroma formation was not significantly different between active, passive, or no drain groups. The benign or malignant pathology also did not significantly affect seroma formation. Patients with a seroma had a slightly larger defect, but this was not statistically significant. Length of hospitalization was significantly shorter for patients with no drain or a passive drain compared to patients with an active drain (p<0.05). Conclusions: Type of drain, pathology, size of defect, and type of closure did not significantly affect the rate of postoperative seroma formation after. The type of drain however significantly affected the length of stay. Types of drain may increase the length of stay, while they may not significantly decrease the rate of complications.