When you had your breast augmentation procedure, you were given a breast implant ID card. If you looked at it, you noticed it held key information about your surgery, such as the date and surgeon who performed it. Nice memorabilia, right? Just store it somewhere and let it dust, while its placement fades from your memory.
Well, before you lose complete and utter track of where it is, find and place it with your other medical records. Here's why.
What a breast implant ID card tells about your breast implants
A breast implant ID card is a device identification card that contains important information about your breast implants, like:
- Breast implant manufacturer
- Implant serial number
- Catalog or reference number of your breast implants
- Your plastic surgeon's name
- Implant size or volume
- Date of your surgery
- Breast implant fill (saline or silicone)
- Breast implant shape and projection
- Breast implant design
Why you should know where your breast implant ID card is
Let's say you have a complication like an implant rupture, your implants are recalled, or you decide to have revision surgery performed by a different plastic surgeon—these are three scenarios in which your breast implant ID card will come handy.
Breast implants come with warranties that typically span 10 years, some even lifetime. In the event of a manufacturing flaw (e.g., rupture) or recall, your implants will be replaced, but the breast implant manufacturer will require the serial numbers of your current breast implants to provide the replacement under warranty.
What to do if you lost your breast implant ID card
If you've lost your breast implant ID card, don't panic. Simply contact your surgeon's office and request your operative report, which should include implant serial numbers. Or, if your breast augmentation surgery was performed at a hospital or accredited surgical facility, they should have details about your procedure and implants on record.
What breast implant ID cards look like
Here are examples of implant device cards from actual patients:
Mentor device cards
Allergan device card
McGhan (once known as Inamed, now absorbed by Allergan)
Nagor eurosilicone device card
