Clinical research in aesthetic surgery.

Clinical research in aesthetic surgery cannot use traditional objective measures of surgical success. Present research designs and methods used in aesthetic surgery limit the ability to conduct meaningful clinical research. Outcomes research may be ideally suited for assessing patients in aesthetic surgery.

Mortality in patients with necrotizing fasciitis.

Background: The prognostic factors that determine outcome in patients with necrotizing fasciitis remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the variables that affect the mortality and morbidity of patients with necrotizing fasciitis and to create a simple method for estimating the probability of mortality.

Methods: The authors undertook a retrospective review of all patients with necrotizing fasciitis treated in three tertiary care hospitals in Ontario, Canada, between January of 1994 and June of 2001.

Inhibition of microsurgical thrombosis by the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist SR121566A.

Despite major improvements in tools and significant refinements of techniques, microsurgical anastomosis still carries a significant risk of failure due to microvascular thrombosis. The key to improving the success of microvascular surgery may lie in the pharmacologic control of thrombus formation. Central to pathologic arterial thrombosis are platelets.

Measuring outcomes in aesthetic surgery: a comprehensive review of the literature.

Outcomes research examines the end results of medical interventions, taking into account patients' experiences, preferences, and values. The purpose of assessing outcomes is to provide evidence on which to base clinical decisions. The assessment of outcomes in aesthetic surgery is especially pertinent because patient satisfaction is the predominant factor in determining success.