Can Saline Implant Burst from Falling Heavily?

Question

I had a bad fall recently and my saline implant ruptured about the same time. can a saline implant burst from falling heavily?

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

Any severe trauma like falling directly on your implant with your full weight is capable of rupturing you implant. On the other hand the implants are quite sturdy and in most cases would probably withstand this force.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

Can Saline Implant Burst from Falling Heavily? Yes but this is not the most common cause of rupture.

David Shafer, MD, FACS · Answer

Implants do well with normal activities. However, if you are in an accident where you have trauma to your chest such as a bad fall or the steering wheel hitting your chest in a car accident, etc then you may have created enough force to rupture the implant. Exchanging the implants after rupture is a must less involved procedure than your original operation. Good luck.

John LoMonaco, MD, FACS · Answer

The most common reason implants fail is from capsular contracture, which causes folds or wrinkles in the implant.  These folds rub together and weaken the impant, and it can eventually leak or deflate. Thos accounts for over 95% of patients I see who have had rupture.

	When I staffed a major trauma center, I saw many patients with breast implants who suffered chest trauma from airbag deployment or seatbelt injuries after car wrecks, and  their implants were almost always OK.  I also have placed implants in individuals who are very active in sports, where falls, diving saves of a volleyball, etc are common.  So far no ruptures !

	Trauma in your case probably contributed to implant rupture, but my experience leads me to believe that the implants are pretty durable.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Daily acitivity should not cause a rupture of your implants, but I suppose a bad fall or accident putting a significant impact on your implants may cause them to rupture.

Nina S. Naidu, MD, FACS · Answer

Technically, yes, your could have ruptured your implant during the fall, but this would be very unusual. Implants are very durable, and can withstand significant trauma. If your implant is more than 7 years old, then the shell may have weakened enough to rupture more easily. If your implants are more than a few years old, I would suggest having both exchanged when your ruptured implant is removed. Good luck, /nsn.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

It is extremely rare for a brand new breast implant to leak from a bear hug or a mild flow. But with every breath, step and movement the walls of the implant keep moving in and out resulting in gradual thinning and weakening of the shell. Eventually, every implant will leak.

	If your implants were more than several years old, "shell fatigue" has already weakened certain spots in the implant's envelope. All that it takes is a sudden compression such as a bad fall, a car accident with the stirring wheel hitting your chest or a vigorous mammogram examination to cause the leak.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

It would be rare to rupture a saline implant from blunt trauma but it isn't impossible.  More likely it is just normal wear.

Scott L. Replogle, MD (retired) · Answer

"Bursting" implies some sort of explosion or problem of the inside getting out. The way to think of it is that saline implants can rupture or fail due to a fall just as your ribs could be cracked or broken. Implants whether saline-filled or gel-filled are designed to handle compression but it's possible to injure them. The advantage to the saline implant is that if they were to rupture or fail the saline should be the same as IV fluid and wouldn't hurt anything but your implant would immediately deflate and be obvious. If you had a gel-filled implant it would not be immediately apparent that your implant was injured or failed and the best test for it is an MRI.

Can Saline Implant Burst from Falling Heavily?

Answers (9)

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