Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking about breast abscesses.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero definals.com slash breast abscess or in the breast surgery section of the zero definals surgery book. So let's get

straight into it. A breast abscess is a collection of pus within an area of the breast, usually caused

by bacterial infection. And this may be a lactational abscess which is associated with breastfeeding or a non-lactational

abscess unrelated to breastfeeding.

Puss is a thick fluid produced by inflammation and it contains dead white blood cells of the

immune system and other waste products from the fight against the infection.

When pus becomes trapped in a specific area

and it cannot drain out of that area, an abscess will form and gradually enlarge in size as it fills up

with the pus. Mastitis refers to inflammation of the breast tissue. Often this is related to breastfeeding,

which is referred to as lactational

mastitis, although it can be caused by infection. Bacteria can enter the nipple and backtrack

into the ducts causing infection and inflammation. Mastitis caused by infection may precede the

development of an abscess.

Smoking is a key risk factor for infective mastitis and breast abscesses.

Damage to the nipple, for example with nipple exma,

candidule infection of the nipple or piercings,

may also provide an entry point for bacteria to get into the breast.

Underlying breast disease, for example breast cancer, can affect the drainage of the breast

which predisposes to infection.

Let's talk about the causes of breast abscesses.

The most common causative bacteria are Staphylococcus aureus, which is the most

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