News » Facelift Patients Risk Superbug
The MRSA superbug has been discovered in some patients who have had facelifts.A study in the US advised plastic surgeons to have "a high suspicion" for MRSA when infections occur after facial procedures.
The review of 780 facelift patients between 2001 and 2007 found five with infections at incision sites, four of which were confirmed as MRSA.
Of the four, two patients appeared to have been exposed to the bacteria before surgery.
Doctors who perform facelifts should consider screening patients to track down those who may be at risk, the report suggested.
The study was carried out by Dr Richard Zoumalan and his colleagues at Lennox Hill-Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in New York.
"During preoperative evaluation, a full medical history should include information on possible prior contacts with persons at high risk for carrying MRSA," it said.
"Other risk factors include age, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and prolonged postoperative stay.
"Groups with higher incidence ... include athletes, military personnel, prison inmates, men who have sex with men, intravenous drug users, native Americans and Pacific Islanders," it added.
The post-surgery infection rate found in the study was about the same as that found in research done 10 years ago.
But the earlier study was carried out when MRSA was still rare, the authors said.
The study was published in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.