Is it acceptable for a doctor to staple dressings to a patient during a breast reduction surgery?

Every surgeon has his or her protocol for management of dressings but stapling dressing on is unusual.  It is more likely that during surgery sterile drapes to isolate the operative are were temporarily stapled to your niece.  These area will improve rapidly.  Please discuss with her surgeon to clarify. 

Many surgeons staple the sterile surgical drapes to the patient to secure the drapes in place while they are sleeping. They however do not staple dressings? This is done to keep the sterile drapes from sliding around and contaminating the field and is quite common in breast surgery as the surgeon usually sits the patient up frequently throughout an operation. It is usually not harmful to a patient (and to the contrary, helps prevent contamination of the field). The staples are usually gently removed after completion of the operation. Other surgeons will suture the drapes in place which is more time consuming. The times that this method of securing the drapes should be avoided are if a patient has the propensity to have hypertrophic or keloid scars as the trauma of the staple can cause a reaction. It sounds like your niece possibly had a reaction to the staples? #PlasticSurgery #BreastReduction #staples 

Your description sounds highly unusual; I wonder if there has been a miscommunication? Best wishes to your niece for an outcome that she will be pleased with.