Breast Implants Decrease Chest Wall Trauma in Low-speed, Unrestrained Motor Vehicle Crash: An Experimental Model

Breast implants improve quality of life in patients seeking improved breast aesthetics, and are known to minimize human injury in the less common scenario of penetrating trauma. People commonly sustain rib and sternum fractures and thoracic injury in motor vehicle crashes (MVC), a form of blunt traumatic injury. Whether breast implants minimize injury during MVC is unknown. This study examines the potential protective effect of breast implants in low speed, unrestrained MVC. METHODS: Control (medical gel) and implant (medical gel with embedded breast implant) blocks were subjected to load approximating a low speed, 10mph MVC (n=12 blocks per group). Colormetric pressure film measured pressure at the neo-chest wall position in response to load, across the gel block base. Maximum pressure and average pressure across the gel block base were compared, by group. RESULTS: Presence of an implant significantly decreased, by 22.8%, maximum pressure experienced by the neo-chest wall (333.0 ± 58.7 psi vs 431.6 ± 37.3 psi, p=0.0006). Average pressure experienced by the neo-chest wall across the gel block base was also significantly decreased, by 28.1%, in the implant group (53.4 ± 5.6 psi vs 74.3 ± 15.7 psi, p=0.0017). Subjective analysis of all implant and control blocks supported an overall reduction in pressure for the implant group. CONCLUSIONS: Presence of a breast implant decreased maximum pressure at the chest wall by 23%, and average pressure by 28%. Patients with breast implants involved in low speed, unrestrained MVC may be less likely to sustain rib and sternum fractures and thoracic injury, when compared to patients without implants.