Surgical and Patient Reported Outcomes After DIEP Breast Reconstruction at a Low-Volume Community Hospital Without Microvascular Fellowship Training.

Background: Microsurgical breast reconstruction is typically performed at large, academic centers by fellowship-trained surgeons. This study examines surgical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction at a community hospital by surgeons without fellowship training.

Methods: A prospective clinical database and BREAST-Q results were obtained from 33 patients after 45 DIEP flaps performed between 2016 and 2020.

Quantification of adipose transfer viability using a novel, bioluminescent murine model.

Fat grafting has highly variable long-term results. Research efforts to improve the reliability of fat grafting are limited by inefficient methods for evaluation of fat engraftment. In this work, we describe a novel animal model for the quantitative evaluation of fat grafting using in vivo bioluminescence of adipocytes from luciferase-expressing mice.

Growth factors adsorbed on polyglycolic acid mesh augment growth of bioengineered intestinal neomucosa.

Production of tissue engineered small intestine (TESI) has been limited by the relatively large amount of native tissue required to generate neomucosa. The influence of growth factors and three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrices on TESI has been studied both in vitro and in vivo, and positive growth effects on tissue mass and differentiation were noted. The present study investigates the impact of single doses of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), or holo-transferrin adsorbed onto a polyglycolic (PGA) mesh scaffold using a rat small-intestinal organoid transplant model.

The biochemical basis for the anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective actions of ethyl pyruvate and related compounds.

Pyruvate is an important metabolic intermediate, and also is an effective scavenger of hydrogen peroxide and other reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pharmacological administration of pyruvate has been shown to improve organ function in animal models of oxidant-mediated cellular injury. However, pyruvate is relatively unstable in aqueous solutions, which could limit the therapeutic potential of this compound.

Developing quality indicators for elderly surgical patients.

Objective: To develop process-based quality indicators to improve perioperative care for elderly surgical patients.

Background: The population is aging and expanding, and physicians must continue to optimize elderly surgical care to meet the anticipated increase in surgical services. We sought to develop process-based quality indicators applicable to virtually all disciplines of surgery to identify necessary and meaningful ways to improve surgical care and outcomes in the elderly.

Laparoscopic aortic reinforcement and endovascular graft placement in swine: a new external wrap.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and histological response of laparoscopic external aortic wrap implantation in conjunction with an endovascular stent/stent-graft placement in the infrarenal aorta in a porcine model.

Methods: Seven swine underwent laparoscopic retroperitoneal placement of a custom-made Dacron fabric wrap placed around the infrarenal aorta to create a landing zone for an endovascularly placed aortic stent/stent-graft.

Results: Technical success was achieved in all animals without any major complications.