The Caregiver Burden of Helmet Therapy following Endoscopic Strip Craniectomy: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study.

Introduction: This cohort study aimed to elucidate the caregiver burden of helmet therapy (HT), following endoscopic strip craniectomy (ESC) to treat craniosynostosis, in an effort to inform clinicians and future caregivers navigating this therapeutic option.

Methods: Fourteen caregivers of children with positional plagiocephaly (6) and craniosynostosis treated by ESC (8) undergoing HT at a single center were recruited via convenience sampling. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the experience of HT for caregivers.

Safety and Sustainability: Optimizing Outcomes and Changing Paradigms in Global Health Endeavors.

Background: The need to address inequities in global surgical care has garnered increased attention since 2015, after the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery underscored the importance of ensuring safe, accessible, affordable, and timely surgical and anesthetic care. The vast unmet global plastic surgery needs make plastic surgery care essential in reducing the global burden of disease. In the past, many nonprofit organizations undertook humanitarian activities within low- and middle-income countries that were primarily service-provision oriented.

Supraorbital minicraniotomy for open Ommaya reservoir placement in pediatric craniopharyngiomas: a case series and technical report.

Objective: Craniopharyngiomas with a predominant cystic component are often seen in children and can be treated with an Ommaya reservoir for aspiration and/or intracystic therapy. In some cases, cannulation of the cyst can be challenging via a stereotactic or transventricular endoscopic approach due to its size and proximity to critical structures. In such cases, a novel placement technique for Ommaya reservoirs via a lateral supraorbital incision and supraorbital minicraniotomy has been used.

Endoscopic strip craniectomy with orthotic helmeting for safe improvement of head growth in children with Apert syndrome.

Objective: Bilateral coronal craniosynostosis in Apert syndrome is traditionally managed with open cranial vault remodeling procedures like fronto-orbital advancement (FOA). However, as minimally invasive procedures gain popularity, limited data exist to determine their efficacy in this syndromic population. This study examines whether endoscopic strip craniectomy (ESC) is inferior to FOA in correcting head growth in patients with Apert syndrome.

Meningothelial Hamartoma of the Scalp in a Child With Gorlin Syndrome.

Meningothelial hamartoma of the scalp is a rare entity characterized by a mix of meningothelial tissue and various connective tissue elements. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there has only been one reported case of meningothelial hamartoma of the scalp in the setting of Gorlin syndrome in the literature. In this report, we describe the case of a 3-year-old boy with Gorlin syndrome who presented with a congenital scalp lesion.

Female Leadership in Academic Plastic Surgery: A Comprehensive Analysis.

Background: Gender equity remains to be realized in academic plastic and reconstructive surgery. The purpose of this study was to measure the proportion of women in leadership roles in academic plastic and reconstructive surgery to verify where gender gaps may persist.

Methods: Six markers of leadership were analyzed: academic faculty rank, manuscript authorship, program directorship, journal editor-in-chief positions, society board of directors membership, and professional society membership.

Inflammatory and infectious complications of laser therapy in treatment of hypertrophic burn scars: Correlations in literature review & case reports.

Introduction: Hypertrophic burn scars contribute to morbidity through secondary symptoms of pain, pruritus, and scar contracture. Traditional treatment methods are now augmented by the use of monochromatic light therapies, which are generally accepted as safe and effective. However, little literature is available regarding the complications of laser treatments of hypertrophic burn scars and even less regarding inflammatory and infectious complications.

Nasal Tip Delamination: A Technique for Nasal Tip Projection and Control in Rhinoplasty.

Background: Control of tip projection and rotation is critical to a successful rhinoplasty. Suture techniques that change the relationship of the medial crura to the caudal septum can effectively manage tip position, but may be technically challenging or require specialized sutures. The authors present a technique ("tip delamination") that allows symmetrical exposure of the medial crura and caudal septum for accurate placement of projection control sutures using commonly available suture materials.

The Impact of Social Media on Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants.

Background: Plastic surgeons have been early adopters of social media, and the efficacy and ethics of this practice have been studied. In addition, plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS) training programs have begun using social media to connect with the public, including prospective PRS applicants. The ability of social media to attract prospective residency applicants is unknown.

The Scale-Up of the Global Surgical Workforce: Can Estimates be Achieved by 2030?

Background: The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery showed that countries with surgeon, anesthetist, and obstetrician (SAO) densities of 20-40 SAO/100,000 population were associated with improved health outcomes and recommended a global surgical workforce scale-up by 2030. Whether countries would be able to achieve such scale-up efforts in that time-frame is unknown.

Methods: A differential equation model was used to estimate the growth rate and number of SAO necessary for each country to reach the aforementioned SAO densities.

Short Runs for a Long Slide: Principalization in Complex Facial Restoration after Acid Attack Burn Injury.

Burn injuries are responsible for a significant portion of surgically treatable morbidity throughout the world and particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries. Intentional flame, chemical, and contact burns are unfortunately a common mechanism of injury. It is estimated that intentional chemical burns are responsible for between 2 and 20% of burn injuries seen at burn centers in lower income countries.

Volar Resurfacing of the Thumb with a Superficial Circumflex Iliac Artery Perforator Flap after Hydrofluoric Acid Burn.

A right-hand-dominant 55-year-old male automotive mechanic presented 24 hours following a hydrofluoric acid burn to the volar left thumb. Despite the severity of soft tissue injury, the neurovascular bundles were intact. Although a free toe-pulp flap is often described to cover volar digit defects, the resultant 6- × 4-cm full-thickness injury of the thumb was too large to be adequately covered by a toe-pulp flap or other commonly used local flaps from the ipsilateral hand.

Global surgical, obstetric, and anesthetic task shifting: A systematic literature review.

Background: Five billion people lack access to safe, affordable, and timely surgical care; this is in part driven by severe shortages in the global surgical workforce. Task shifting is commonly implemented to expand the surgical workforce. A more complete understanding of the global distribution and use of surgical, obstetric, and anesthetic task shifting is lacking in the literature.

Evaluating Venous Drainage in Reverse Flow Pedicles: Available Evidence and Mechanisms.

Background:  The anatomy and physiology of venous drainage in the reversed flow vascular pedicle is controversial and there have been few well-designed, controlled studies to effectively evaluate the physiology. We evaluated the available evidence for venous drainage to synthesize the conclusions of these studies, and to identify areas in need of further research.

Methods:  Electronic databases were searched for articles published from January 1, 1950 to November 1, 2017.

Venous Anastomoses in Anterolateral Thigh Flaps for the Lower Extremity: Vessel Selection In Lieu of Obligatory Number.

Background: Dual venous drainage for anterolateral thigh flaps has been proposed to protect against flap-related complications in head and neck applications. Here we report our experience with single vs dual venous anastomosis during lower extremity free-tissue transfer.

Methods: All free anterolateral thigh flaps for lower extremity reconstruction from 2011 to 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.

Brief surgical procedure code lists for outcomes measurement and quality improvement in resource-limited settings.

Background: The lack of a classification system for surgical procedures in resource-limited settings hinders outcomes measurement and reporting. Existing procedure coding systems are prohibitively large and expensive to implement. We describe the creation and prospective validation of 3 brief procedure code lists applicable in low-resource settings, based on analysis of surgical procedures performed at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda's second largest public hospital.

Bellwether Procedures for Monitoring and Planning Essential Surgical Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Caesarean Delivery, Laparotomy, and Treatment of Open Fractures.

Background: Surgical conditions represent a significant proportion of the global burden of disease, and therefore, surgery is an essential component of health systems. Achieving universal health coverage requires effective monitoring of access to surgery. However, there is no widely accepted standard for the required capabilities of a first-level hospital.

Global Surgery 2030: a roadmap for high income country actors.

The Millennium Development Goals have ended and the Sustainable Development Goals have begun, marking a shift in the global health landscape. The frame of reference has changed from a focus on 8 development priorities to an expansive set of 17 interrelated goals intended to improve the well-being of all people. In this time of change, several groups, including the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, have brought a critical problem to the fore: 5 billion people lack access to safe, affordable surgical and anaesthesia care when needed.

Surgical Non-governmental Organizations: Global Surgery's Unknown Nonprofit Sector.

Background: Charitable organizations may play a significant role in the delivery of surgical care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, in order to quantify their collective contribution, to account for the care they provide in national surgical plans, and to maximize coordination between organizations, a comprehensive database of these groups is required. We aimed to create such a database using web-available data.

Mapping the playing field-a novel web-based strategy to identify non-governmental actors in global surgery.

Background: In the face of staggering global unmet need for surgical care, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a substantial part in the surgical workforce, providing surgical care for those who are without it. The number of NGOs providing surgical care in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is unknown. This information is needed to determine the scope of such care, its contributions to global surgical case volume, to improve collaboration in an effort to maximise efficiency, and to inform national surgical workforce planning.

Global surgical and anaesthetic task shifting: a systematic literature review and survey.

Background: Billions of people worldwide lack access to surgical care; this is in part driven by severe shortages in the global surgical workforce. Task shifting, the movement of tasks to associate clinicians or non-specialist physicians, is a commonly implemented yet often contentious strategy to expand the surgical workforce. A more complete understanding of the global distribution and use of surgical and anaesthetic task shifting is needed to strengthen strategic planning efforts to bridge the gap between surgical and anaesthetic providers.