Background: The COVID-19 pandemic displaced medical students from their rotations and into virtual classrooms. The authors aimed to develop a virtual curriculum with the goals for students to gain knowledge in plastic surgery, to acquire technical skills, and to be able to promote community.
Methods: The authors developed a 4-week educational curriculum of topics in plastic surgery using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Resident Education Curriculum and an online plastic surgery curriculum.
Background: Gender-affirming surgery is a critical component of transgender health care, but access information is limited. The study aim was to assess workforce capacity to perform gender affirming bottom surgeries (GABSs) in the United States.
Methods: A questionnaire was administered via email, phone call, or fax from February to May 2020 to 86 practices identified as performing GABS by searching 10 Web-based databases with standardized keywords.
Background: Medical chaperones often play an important role during physical examinations, providing patient comfort and serving as medicolegal witness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare practices regarding chaperone use by plastic surgery attendings and trainees.
Methods: A voluntary survey was distributed to members of the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons.
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open
November 2021
Introduction: Pain and discomfort are frequently experienced following mastectomy with concomitant breast implant- or tissue expander-based alloplastic breast reconstruction (AlBR). Unfortunately, postoperative opioids have decreased efficacy in AlBR, short-term complication profiles, and are fraught by long-term dependence. This systematic review aims to identify opioid-sparing pain management strategies in AlBR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg
July 2021
Background: The United States (US) is in the mid of an opioid epidemic propagated, in part, by prescription opioids. With excess overprescribing documented in a variety of surgical procedures, several societies have recommended opioid-prescribing guidelines. Considering the scope and postoperative pain associated with aesthetic plastic surgery procedures, earnest evaluation into opioid-prescribing practices for breast augmentation was conducted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth care reform continues to be a topic of debate among lawmakers, politicians, physicians, and citizens of the United States. In recent years, proposed changes to the health care industry have grown in both granularity and popularity, with the possibility of adapting a single-payer health insurance system reaching an all-time high. The implications of such a policy are far-reaching and can be challenging to conceptualize, especially in isolation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical research remains at the forefront of academic practice and evidence-based medicine. Unfortunately, history has shown that human subjects are vulnerable to experimentation without regard for their own dignity and informed decision-making. Subsequently, it is vital for research institutes to uphold safeguards and ethical conscientiousness toward human subjects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdvances in computer science and photography not only are pervasive but are also quantifiably influencing the practice of medicine. Recent progress in both software and hardware technology has translated into the design of advanced artificial neural networks: computer frameworks that can be thought of as algorithms modeled on the human brain. In practice, these networks have computational functions, including the autonomous generation of novel images and videos, frequently referred to as "deepfakes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntibiotic overuse, particularly in the postoperative period, has contributed substantially to increased rates of antibiotic resistance. Despite insufficient evidence to support prolonged prophylactic antibiotics following the majority of plastic surgery operations, and societal recommendations against the practice, many surgeons continue to perpetuate this cycle. Regarding "newer" operations, wherein minimal data pertaining to antibiotic use have been published, decision-making is often based on historical tradition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study aims to outline the 30-d complications of different velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) correction techniques using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric.
Methods: Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric, VPI cases from 2012 to 2015 were identified. Patients were subdivided into two cohorts: (1) palatal procedures and (2) pharyngeal procedures, with the latter being subdivided into (1) pharyngeal flap and (2) sphincter pharyngoplasty.
Background: The rates of opioid abuse and overdose in America have risen in parallel with the rates of opioid prescribing by physicians. As such, we sought to examine the prescribing practices among plastic surgery attendings and trainees to determine the need for more thorough education.
Methods: A survey was distributed to all ACGME-accredited plastic surgery residency programs and included questions regarding opioid-prescribing practices and self-rated ability pertaining to opioid management.
Objective: To evaluate risk factors for 30-day unplanned readmission and increased length of stay (LOS) following minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for endometrial cancer.
Methods: This was a retrospective, case-control study using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess perioperative variables associated with readmission and increased LOS after MIS for endometrial cancer.
Background: Breast augmentation in transgender women can be an important first step in addressing gender incongruence and improving psychosocial functioning. The aim of this study was to compare postoperative outcomes of augmentation mammoplasty in transgender and cisgender females.
Methods: We queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2006 to 2017 to establish 2 cohorts: (1) transgender females undergoing gender-affirming breast augmentation ("top surgery") and (2) cisgender females seeking cosmetic breast augmentation (CBA).
The elderly population in the United States is expanding rapidly, and with advancements in modern medicine, the number of elderly patients undergoing surgery has risen in parallel. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of age and frailty on postoperative outcomes following pedicled flap reconstruction. The 2005-2016 ACS-NSQIP databases were queried to identify cases involving pedicled flaps based on CPT codes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Microtia refers to a congenital malformation of the external ear that is associated with a range of functional, psychosocial, aesthetic, and financial burdens. The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiology and postoperative complication profile of microtia reconstruction.
Methods: A retrospective review was conducted using data from the 2012-2017 the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program Pediatric databases.
Background: Mastectomy is a commonly requested procedure in the transmasculine population and has been shown to improve quality of life, although there is limited research on safety. The aim of this study was to provide a nationwide assessment of epidemiology and postoperative outcomes following masculinizing mastectomy and compare them with outcomes following mastectomy for cancer prophylaxis and gynecomastia correction in cisgender patients.
Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2005 to 2017 was queried using International Classification of Diseases and Current Procedural Terminology codes to create cohorts of mastectomies for 3 indications: transmasculine chest reconstruction, cancer risk-reduction (CRRM), and gynecomastia treatment (GM).
Background: Chest reconstruction ('top surgery') is an important component of transition in the transmasculine population that can substantially improve gender incongruence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic characteristics, surgical technique, and postoperative outcomes following transmasculine chest surgery.
Methods: Using ICD codes, we identified all cases of gender-affirming transmasculine chest surgery from the ACS NSQIP database (2010-2017).