In Defense of the International Collaboration of Breast Registry Activities (ICOBRA)

The International Collaboration of Breast Registry Activities (ICOBRA) involves the national plastic surgery societies of several countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.1 Its inception was triggered by the Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP) crisis in France in 2010. It was clear at this time that no existing or past breast implant registry was in a position to alert government and regulatory authorities. In Australia, an inclusive approach backed by surgical societies, government and regulatory bodies has now resulted in the design and implementation of what we now believe is an optimal model for a breast device registry. In 2010, the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery, with support from reputable registry scientists, sought to design a “best-practice” Breast Device Registry. Australia's new national opt-out Breast Device Registry was designed along similar lines to the Australian Orthopedic Association's National Joint Replacement Registry. The orthopedic experience, with successful detection of clinical failure of metal-on-metal hip joint prostheses provided a valuable and parallel experience of how a device registry could function as an important tool to ensure patient safety.2 The Australian Government tendered for the design and implementation of the registry and the Monash University's Department of Epidemiology and Preventive …