Plastic and reconstructive surgery
-
Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Apr 2006
Clinical TrialNitrous oxide administered by the plastic surgeon for repair of facial lacerations in children in the emergency room.
The purpose of this study was to investigate a means of providing pain relief during repair of facial lacerations in children in the emergency room. ⋯ Nitrous oxide can be safely administered by plastic surgeons while suturing facial lacerations in the emergency room. The fast onset and rapid recovery characteristics of nitrous oxide provide a convenient environment for performing short surgical procedures. This safe method for provision of analgesia and anxiolysis may be appealing to plastic surgeons for ambulatory procedures (e.g., suture removal, expander inflation, Botox injection, injection of various fillers) in pediatric and adult populations.
-
Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Apr 2006
Case ReportsTreatment of recontracture with the subcutaneous pedicle rhomboid flap.
Treatment of recontractures that were previously skin grafted or treated with Z-plasty is a challenge. Application of a subsequent Z-plasty is risky because of the possibility of tip necrosis of the triangular flaps, whereas donor-site morbidity is undesirable if subsequent skin grafting is planned. The subcutaneous pedicle rhomboid flap is an effective technique for the treatment of every type of contracture. This article presents the clinical results of the rhomboid flap used in treatment of recontractures as an alternate technique to Z-plasty and skin grafting. ⋯ The subcutaneous pedicle rhomboid flap is an effective and reliable technique for the treatment of recontractures. Preoperative planning is simple and independent of previous scars. Because the rhomboid flap resurfaces the emerged defects generated by relaxation incisions, one should consider that the flexibility of a single flap may not be adequate in some cases, and multiple flaps should be used.
-
Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Apr 2006
Plasma free hemoglobin: a novel diagnostic test for assessment of the depth of burn injury.
Accurate determination of the depth of burn injury is difficult, even for experienced surgeons. The authors hypothesized that the level of plasma free hemoglobin following burn injury is correlated to the depth of burn injury, and they evaluated this hypothesis in a murine model. ⋯ The authors' data suggest that the level of plasma free hemoglobin after burn injury is related to the size and depth of burn injury. This test can potentially be a valuable diagnostic adjunct in the assessment of burns.
-
After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Discern the importance of the physician's office administrative capacity. 2. Recognize the necessity of a system for quality assessment. 3. Assess which procedures are safe in the office-based setting. 4. Know the basic steps to properly evaluate patients for office-based plastic surgery. ⋯ Patient safety must be every physician's highest priority, as reflected in the Hippocratic Oath: primum non nocere ("first, do no harm"). In the office setting, this priority requires both administrative and clinical emphasis. The physician who gives the healing touch of quality care must always have patient safety as the foremost priority.