This must be rare. I have certainly heard of some widely publicized cases, but in over 25 years of practice, mostly breast surgery, I am not aware of this problem in any patients I have seen or treated. This includes many implant exchanges after long periods of time, and some removals. The only suspicious case I had seen, which was an elective change from silicone to saline, was a patient with dark brown fluid in the saline implants. Cultures were negative, and when we finally go the the original operative notes, it turned out the surgeon filled the implants partially with Betadine. Because of the rarity, I doubt anyone knows how the mold got into the implants. It seems most likely that a contaminant was introduced somewhere along the line. Safe practice demands a closed system where the saline goes right from the IV bag into the implant without exposure to the outside world. This is done in almost all plastic surgery suites, but that has not always been the case. Thanks for your question, all the best.
