Application Discrepancies in the 2023-2024 Integrated Plastic Surgery Match.

Background: The Plastic Surgery Common Application (PSCA) was introduced in the 2020-2021 integrated plastic surgery match cycle. We investigated the accuracy of medical student-reported quantitative metrics in the PSCA.

Methods: Quantifiable data from 1 year of PSCA applications were compared between matched and unmatched students.

The Effect of Numeric Versus Pass/Fail USMLE Step 1 Scores in the Integrated Plastic Surgery 2023-2024 Match Cycle: A Single Institution Study.

Objective: The USMLE Step 1 exam, an important metric in the integrated plastic surgery match, transitioned to pass/fail scoring in January 2022. No previous studies have investigated the impact of this new scoring system on the process of ranking applicants in the integrated plastic surgery match.

Design: 330 Plastic Surgery Common Applications (PSCAs) were submitted to a single academic center in the 2023-2024 match cycle.

Optimizing Aesthetic Outcomes in Autologous Breast Reconstruction: 20 Pearls for Practice.

Autologous breast reconstruction with a deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap is an excellent option for many patients proceeding with mastectomy for surgical management of their breast cancer. As microsurgical techniques and results improve and ensure consistent flap survival, optimizing aesthetic outcomes may become a primary focus. This article outlines 20 tips that can improve aesthetic results in DIEP flap breast reconstruction, based on our senior author's 8-year career in microsurgical breast reconstruction, with an emphasis on enhanced cosmesis.

Challenges in Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A Review of Recommendations.

Breast reconstruction is an integral part of breast cancer treatment and offers significant psychosocial benefits for patients undergoing mastectomy as a part of their treatment plan. Autologous breast reconstruction (ABR) utilizes a patient's own tissue to reconstruct the mastectomy defect, obviating the need for the implantation of a foreign object. As the field of plastic surgery progresses, ABR has become an excellent option for the recreation of a native breast mount.

Nose-Ocomial Pulmonary Edema: A Rare Complication of Oxymetazoline.

A 72-year-old female with epiphora presented for outpatient punctoplasty with probing and lacrimal stent placement. Oxymetazoline was administered intranasally and the case was completed in standard fashion. Postoperatively, the patient desaturated with a workup revealing elevated cardiac enzymes, pulmonary congestion, and sinus bradycardia.

Predicting Complications in Breast Reconstruction: Development and Prospective Validation of a Machine Learning Model.

Importance: Necrosis of the nipple-areolar complex (NAC) is the Achilles heel of nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM), and it can be difficult to assess which patients are at risk of this complication (Ann Surg Oncol 2014;21(1):100-106).

Objective: To develop and validate a model that accurately predicts NAC necrosis in a prospective cohort.

Design: Data were collected from a retrospectively reviewed cohort of patients who underwent NSM and immediate breast reconstruction between January 2015 and July 2019 at our institution, a high -volume, tertiary academic center.

Autologous Breast Reconstruction after Massive Weight Loss: Understanding Risks in a Growing Population.

Background: Massive weight loss (MWL) may have suboptimal effects on tissues used for autologous reconstruction. With the rising rates of obesity and bariatric surgery, more patients who have experienced MWL will be presenting for breast reconstruction. The authors hypothesize that autologous breast reconstruction in patients with a history of MWL will have more complications and require more revisions compared with reconstruction in patients without a history of MWL.

Minimally Invasive Mandibular Microsurgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: Microsurgical advances have led to minimally invasive approaches for mandibular reconstruction. Currently, no resource compares all minimally invasive microvascular mandibular reconstruction (MIMMR) treatment options.

Methods: All known cases of MIMMR were identified following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analyses guidelines, and our own surgical experience.

Evaluating the Importance of Sub-Internships on the 2022 Integrated Plastic Surgery Match During Continued COVID-19 Regulations.

Objective: Following the 2021 integrated plastic surgery match, we found a significant increase in home match rates and decrease in match rate for students without a home plastic surgery program with the elimination of visiting sub-internships and the initiation of virtual interviewing. With the return of visiting sub-internships in the 2022 match cycle, we hypothesize that these rates will approach values more consistent with historical controls.

Design: Program match data was obtained from posts to residency program Instagram pages and posts associated with the hashtag #PRSMatch2022.

Evaluation of Liposomal Bupivacaine at Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Sites Through a Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Split-thickness skin grafts (STSG) are commonly required in reconstructive surgery but may cause significant pain. The goal of this investigator-initiated trial is to evaluate the effect of liposomal bupivacaine on donor site pain and opioid consumption. A parallel, randomized, controlled trial of adult acute burn patients with <20% TBSA burns was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of liposomal bupivacaine at STSG donor sites.

Impact of a Streamlined Trauma-Focused Smartphone Application on Protocol Compliance and Delivery of Care.

Background: In November 2015, an institution-specific mobile application (app) was created to provide rapid access to trauma protocols. The app was tested, and the results suggested that the app was difficult to use as it linked to web-based databases. In June 2018, the app was redesigned with protocol infographics and algorithms that are available offline, eliminating the need to scroll through web pages.