Impact of Opioid Restriction Legislation on Prescribing Practices for Outpatient Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Overprescription of opioids for acute postoperative pain, plastic surgery procedures included, is contributing to the pervasive opioid epidemic in the United States. This study examines the effect of a statewide legislation limiting postoperative opioids on opioid prescription behavior among providers following outpatient plastic surgery procedures at a high-volume academic center. METHODS: Retrospective review of all outpatient surgical encounters between June 1, 2016, and November 30, 2018, was performed. Encounters were grouped into two cohorts: prepolicy and postpolicy. Primary outcomes included total oral morphine equivalents prescribed on the day of surgery and proportion of patients prescribed greater than 210 oral morphine equivalents. Secondary outcomes included proportion of patients requiring an opioid refill within 30 days following surgery, and number of refills required. RESULTS: The mean oral morphine equivalents prescribed on the day of surgery was reduced from 271.8 to 150.37 oral morphine equivalents ( p < 0.001) following implementation of the legislation, with an associated decrease in the standard deviation of oral morphine equivalents prescribed from 225.35 to 196.71 ( p < 0.001), suggesting a decrease in the variability of prescriber practices. Time series analysis demonstrated the decrease in oral morphine equivalents remained significant when accounting for baseline level of change in opioid prescription patterns. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that legislation at the state level restricting postoperative opioid prescriptions is associated with a decrease in opioid prescriptions without an increase in the need for refills in the acute postoperative setting following outpatient plastic surgery procedures.

Congenital Symmastia: A Comprehensive Review and Proposed Treatment Algorithm.

ABSTRACT: Congenital symmastia is a relatively uncommon condition and poorly described in the literature. Although numerous studies have evaluated iatrogenic symmastia including its prevention and treatment, considerably less has been studied with regard to congenital symmastia. In this review, the authors seek to consolidate the literature published thus far and provide techniques and principles of management that may guide surgeons treating patients with this condition.

Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction in the Time of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction has a well-documented positive impact on the psychosocial well-being of women recovering from breast cancer. Rates of breast cancer diagnoses are rising, and more women are seeking mastectomy as treatment and as prophylaxis. METHODS: Postmastectomy breast reconstruction often begins at the time of mastectomy in coordination with the oncologic breast surgeons. Immediate breast reconstruction increases complication rate (11% vs 4%) and unplanned reoperation rate (7% vs 4%), requiring more personnel and resources used during the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of patient care. DISCUSSION: In the setting of global pandemics such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), breast reconstruction demands a unique and nuanced approach, as most forms of breast reconstruction can occur successfully in a delayed fashion. While this may prolong the overall time until completion of reconstruction, other factors come into play in the setting of a communicable (potentially deadly) illness. Factors that must be considered include allocation of essential resources and protection of patients and families from disease transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Plastic surgeons performing breast reconstruction must take these factors into account when counseling their patients, colleagues, and institutions and be proactive in determining which procedures are time-critical and which should be postponed until the disaster situation has relieved.

Factors Influencing American Plastic Surgery Residents Toward an Academic Career.

BACKGROUND: Plastic surgery residency program directors have an interest in recruiting applicants who show an interest in an academic practice. Medical school achievements (ie, United States Medical Licensing Examination® scores, publications, and Alpha Omega Alpha status) are metrics assessed to grade applicants but may not correlate with ultimately choosing an academic career. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate factors influencing residents' choices for or against academic careers. METHODS: A 25-item online questionnaire was designed to measure baseline interest in academic plastic surgery and factors that influence decisions to continue on or abandon that career path. This questionnaire was disseminated to the integrated/combined plastic surgery residents during the 2013 to 2014 academic year. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-five respondents indicated that they were currently interested in pursuing academic practice (n = 78) or had lost interest in academic practice (n = 47). Among all respondents, 92.8% (n = 116) stated they were interested in academic careers at the time of residency application, but one-third (n = 41) subsequently lost interest. Those residents who retained interest in academic careers indicated resident/medical student educational opportunities (57%) and complexity of patients (52%) as reasons. Those who lost interest cited a lack of autonomy (43%), publishing requirements (32%), and income discrepancy (26%) as reasons. DISCUSSION: Many residents report losing interest in academics during residency. Traditional metrics valued in the recruitment process may not serve as positive predictors of an academic career path. CONCLUSION: Reasons why residents lose interest are not easily correctable, but mentorship, adequate career counseling, and research opportunities during training remain factors that can be addressed across all residency programs.

HISTORIQUE: Les directeurs des programmes de résidence en chirurgie plastique ont intérêt à recruter des candidats qui souhaitent mener une carrière en milieu universitaire. Les réalisations en faculté de médecine (indices de l'USMLE, publications et statut à l'AOA) sont des mesures utilisées pour classer les candidats, mais elles ne sont peut-être pas corrélées avec le choix d'une carrière en milieu universitaire. OBJECTIF: La présente étude visait à évaluer les facteurs qui influent sur les choix des résidents à opter ou non pour une carrière en milieu universitaire. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Les chercheurs ont conçu un questionnaire en ligne de 25 questions pour mesurer l'intérêt de départ envers une carrière en chirurgie plastique en milieu universitaire et les facteurs qui influent sur la décision de poursuivre en ce sens ou non. Ils l'ont distribué aux résidents en chirurgie plastique intégrés ou combinés pendant l'année scolaire 2013-2014. RÉSULTATS: Au total, 125 répondants ont affirmé s'intéresser à une carrière en milieu universitaire (n = 78) ou avoir perdu leur intérêt envers la pratique universitaire (n = 47). Dans l'ensemble, 92.8 % d'entre eux (n = 116) ont affirmé qu'ils envisageaient de mener une carrière en milieu universitaire au moment de leur demande de résidence, mais le tiers (n = 41) a ensuite perdu cet intérêt. Parmi leurs raisons, les résidents qui continuaient de vouloir mener une carrière en milieu universitaire ont cité les possibilités d'enseignement aux résidents et aux étudiants en médecine (57 %) et la complexité des cas (52 %). Ceux qui avaient perdu l'intérêt ont invoqué le manque d'autonomie (43 %), les exigences en matière de publication (32 %) et l'écart du revenu (26 %). EXPOSÉ: De nombreux résidents ont déclaré perdre leur intérêt envers une carrière en milieu universitaire pendant leur résidence. Les mesures habituelles utilisées pendant le processus de recrutement ne sont peut-être pas des prédicteurs positifs d'un cheminement de carrière universitaire. CONCLUSION: Les raisons pour lesquelles les résidents perdent l'intérêt envers la carrière en milieu universitaire ne sont pas faciles à corriger, mais le mentorat, une bonne orientation de carrière et des occasions de recherche pendant la formation font partie des facteurs qui peuvent être abordés dans tous les programmes de résidence.

Evaluating Resident Perspectives on International Humanitarian Missions.

BACKGROUND: Opportunities for international missions are highly sought after by medical students, residents, and attending plastic surgeons. The educational benefits and ethical considerations of trainees participating in these ventures have been extensively debated. At the time of this writing, many surgical training programs lack the necessary infrastructure or funds to support missions of this sort. Despite the increasing interest, the perceived benefit of international work has not yet been well studied. The authors seek to evaluate residents' perspectives on the personal and educational benefits of international mission work. METHODS: A 24-item online questionnaire was designed to measure residents' perspectives on humanitarian missions. Residents' perceptions on how participation in these missions may have influenced their career path were also evaluated. This questionnaire was disseminated to the plastic surgery residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited programs in the United States during the 2015 to 2016 academic year. RESULTS: Of the 123 responses collected, 49 (40%) indicated that they had participated in international mission work prior to beginning residency, while 74 (60%) had not. Fifty-seven percent (n = 25) of those who had participated agreed that this experience impacted their choice to pursue plastic surgery as a specialty. Twenty-nine (24%) participated in 1 or more missions during residency. The most common type of mission work focused on cleft lip/palate repairs (n = 24) followed by nonsurgical medical relief (n = 18) and general plastics/combined (n = 6). Most respondents reported trips lasting 6 to 8 days (n = 29, 48%), though several reported trips lasting 9 to 10 days (n = 6, 10%) and 11 days or more (n = 16, 27%). When asked about the volume of procedures performed, 32 (65%) reported participating in more than 15 procedures, with 15 (31%) residents reporting participation in 26 procedures or more. When asked to evaluate the educational benefits in light of the 6 core competencies from the ACGME, there was an overwhelmingly positive response. CONCLUSIONS: Residents perceive international mission experiences to be valuable for professional development as well as an effective tool for surgical education, particularly in the setting of competency-based education goals and these ventures should be supported by training programs. An appropriately planned mission experience can impact the professional and educational development of the trainee.

Comparing Health Care Resource Use between Implant and Autologous Reconstruction of the Irradiated Breast: A National Claims-Based Assessment.

BACKGROUND: In the debate on reconstruction of the irradiated breast, there is little information on associated health care resource use. Nationwide data were used to examine health care resource use associated with implant and autologous reconstruction. It was hypothesized that failure rates would contribute the most to higher average cumulative cost with either reconstruction method. METHODS: From the 2009 to 2013 MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database, irradiated breast cancer patients who underwent implant or autologous reconstruction were selected. In a 24-month follow-up period, the cumulative costs of health care services used were tallied and described. Regression models stratified by reconstruction method were then used to estimate the influence of failure on cumulative cost of reconstruction. RESULTS: There were 2964 study patients. Most (78 percent) underwent implant reconstruction. The unadjusted mean costs for implant and autologous reconstructions were $22,868 and $30,527, respectively. Thirty-two percent of implant reconstructions failed, compared with 5 percent of autologous cases. Twelve percent of the implant reconstructions had two or more failures and required subsequent autologous reconstruction. The cost of implant reconstruction failure requiring a flap was $47,214, and the cost for autologous failures was $48,344. In aggregate, failures constituted more than 20 percent of the cumulative costs of implant reconstruction compared with less than 5 percent for autologous reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: More than one in 10 patients who had implant reconstruction in the setting of radiation therapy to the breast eventually required a flap for failure. These findings make a case for autologous reconstruction being primarily considered in irradiated patients who have this option available.

The Effects of Music on Microsurgical Technique and Performance: A Motion Analysis Study.

BACKGROUND: Music is commonly played in operating rooms (ORs) throughout the country. If a preferred genre of music is played, surgeons have been shown to perform surgical tasks quicker and with greater accuracy. However, there are currently no studies investigating the effects of music on microsurgical technique. Motion analysis technology has recently been validated in the objective assessment of plastic surgery trainees' performance of microanastomoses. Here, we aimed to examine the effects of music on microsurgical skills using motion analysis technology as a primary objective assessment tool. METHODS: Residents and fellows in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery program were recruited to complete a demographic survey and participate in microsurgical tasks. Each participant completed 2 arterial microanastomoses on a chicken foot model, one with music playing, and the other without music playing. Participants were blinded to the study objectives and encouraged to perform their best. The order of music and no music was randomized. Microanastomoses were video recorded using a digitalized S-video system and deidentified. Video segments were analyzed using ProAnalyst motion analysis software for automatic noncontact markerless video tracking of the needle driver tip. RESULTS: Nine residents and 3 plastic surgery fellows were tested. Reported microsurgical experience ranged from 1 to 10 arterial anastomoses performed (n = 2), 11 to 100 anastomoses (n = 9), and 101 to 500 anastomoses (n = 1). Mean age was 33 years (range, 29-36 years), with 11 participants right-handed and 1 ambidextrous. Of the 12 subjects tested, 11 (92%) preferred music in the OR. Composite instrument motion analysis scores significantly improved with playing preferred music during testing versus no music (paired t test, P <0.001). Improvement with music was significant even after stratifying scores by order in which variables were tested (music first vs no music first), postgraduate year, and number of anastomoses (analysis of variance, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Preferred music in the OR may have a positive effect on trainees' microsurgical performance; as such, trainees should be encouraged to participate in setting the conditions of the OR to optimize their comfort and, possibly, performance. Moreover, motion analysis technology is a useful tool with a wide range of applications for surgical education and outcomes optimization.

Reconstruction of the Irradiated Breast: A National Claims-Based Assessment of Postoperative Morbidity.

BACKGROUND: Implant-based reconstruction rates have risen among irradiation-treated breast cancer patients in the United States. This study aims to assess the morbidity associated with various breast reconstruction techniques in irradiated patients. METHODS: From the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database, the authors selected breast cancer patients who had undergone mastectomy, irradiation, and breast reconstruction from 2009 to 2012. Demographic and clinical treatment data, including data on the timing of irradiation relative to breast reconstruction were recorded. Complications and failures after implant and autologous reconstruction were also recorded. A multivariable logistic regression model was developed with postoperative complications as the dependent variable and patient demographic and clinical variables as independent variables. RESULTS: Four thousand seven hundred eighty-one irradiated patients who met the inclusion criteria were selected. A majority of the patients [n = 3846 (80 percent)] underwent reconstruction with implants. Overall complication rates were 45.3 percent and 30.8 percent for patients with implant and autologous reconstruction, respectively. Failure of reconstruction occurred in 29.4 percent of patients with implant reconstruction compared with 4.3 percent of patients with autologous reconstruction. In multivariable logistic regression, irradiated patients with implant reconstruction had two times the odds of having any complication and 11 times the odds of failure relative to patients with autologous reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Implant-based breast reconstruction in the irradiated patient, although popular, is associated with significant morbidity. Failures of reconstruction with implants in these patients approach 30 percent in the short term, suggesting a need for careful shared decision-making, with full disclosure of the potential morbidity. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Fibromatosis After Pyrocarbon Implant Insertion: A Case Report.

Background: Pyrocarbon implants represent an increasingly popular method to treat proximal interphalangeal joint dysfunction. To this point, no association has been shown between pyrocarbon biomaterials and fibromatosis. We present a potentially serious and destructive complication associated with pyrocarbon arthroplasty. Methods: We demonstrate a clinical case involving pyrocarbon arthroplasty and subsequent fibromatosis development in an otherwise healthy 23-year-old female. To present this association, we illustrate the diagnostic workup involved in a rapidly expanding soft tissue mass of the hand and explain the appropriate treatment. Results: Pyrocarbon arthroplasty was associated with development of locally destructive fibromatosis confirmed by histopathological examination. Treatment involved wide resection with preservation of local structures. Conclusion: We describe the first association between fibromatosis and pyrocarbon biomaterial. Due to fibromatosis destructive effects, clinicians should be aware of potential complications associated with these materials and know how to accurately diagnose and treat these lesions.

Complications in body contouring stratified according to weight loss method.

BACKGROUND: Body contouring procedures following massive weight loss have become increasingly common and, unfortunately, continue to be associated with a high complication rate. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how weight loss method affects complications following abdominally based body contouring procedures. METHODS: Patients undergoing abdominally based contouring procedures were retrospectively evaluated over an 11-year period and stratified into two groups based on method of weight loss: diet and exercise; or bariatric surgery. Complications, including seroma, wound dehiscence, skin necrosis, infection, hematoma and venous thromboembolism, were included if they required intervention. An adjusted logistic model was used to examine the effect of weight loss method on aggregate complication rates. RESULTS: A total of 307 patients were included: 77 (25%) lost weight through diet and exercise; and 230 (75%) through bariatric surgery. Results from the logistic model showed no difference in complication rates between weight loss methods (OR 1.01 [95% CI 0.51 to 2.02]). However, there was a strong correlation between body mass index at the time of surgery and complication rates (OR 1.05 [95% CI 1.02 to 1.08]; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal no difference in complication rates following abdominal body contouring procedures attributable to method of weight loss. Rather, there was a proportional rise in complication rates in patients with a higher body mass index at the time of surgery. Surgeons and patients should be aware of this trend, and it should be part of any discussion of abdominal body contouring procedures and informing patients of their risk profile.

HISTORIQUE: Les interventions de remodelage du corps après une perte de poids massive sont de plus en plus courantes. Malheureusement, elles continuent d'être associées à un taux de complication élevé. OBJECTIF: Évaluer l'influence de la méthode de perte de poids sur les complications après des interventions de remodelage de l'abdomen. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Les chercheurs ont fait l'évaluation rétrospective de patients qui avaient subi des interventions de remodelage sur une période de 11 ans et les ont stratifiés en deux groupes, selon la méthode de perte de poids: régime et exercice ou chirurgie bariatrique. Ils ont inclus les complications qui avaient nécessité une intervention, y compris le sérome, la déhiscence de la plaie, la nécrose cutanée, l'infection, l'hématome et la thromboembolie veineuse. Ils ont utilisé un modèle logistique rajusté pour examiner l'effet de la méthode de perte de poids sur les taux de complication globaux. RÉSULTATS: Au total, 307 patients ont été inclus dans l'étude, dont 77 (25 %) ont perdu du poids par suite d'un régime et d'exercice et 230 (75 %) après une chirurgie bariatrique. Les résultats du modèle logistique n'ont révélé aucune différence dans les taux de complications selon la méthode de perte de poids (RC 1,01 [95 % IC 0,51 à 2,02]). Cependant, ils ont constaté une forte corrélation entre l'indice de masse corporelle au moment de l'opération et les taux de complications (RC 1,05 [95 % IC 1,02 à 1,08]; P<0,01). CONCLUSIONS: Les résultats n'ont révélé aucune différence dans les taux de complication attribuables à la méthode de perte de poids après des interventions de remodelage abdominal. Ils ont plutôt démontré une augmentation proportionnelle des taux de complication chez les patients dont l'indice de masse corporelle était plus élevé lors de l'opération. Les chirurgiens et les patients devraient connaître cette tendance, qu'il faudrait intégrer aux discussions sur les interventions de remodelage abdominal et à l'information aux patients sur leur profil de risque.

Partial extensor carpi radialis longus turn-over tendon transfer for reconstruction of the extensor pollicis longus tendon in the rheumatoid hand: case report.

Reconstruction of a distally ruptured extensor pollicis longus tendon in the rheumatoid patient generally involves a tendon transfer or intercalary graft. We present an alternative technique using the radial half of the extensor carpi radialis longus as a turn-over graft. Using the turn-over technique with a half-slip of the extensor carpi radialis longus avoids the traditional limitations of the extensor carpi radialis longus tendon in distal extensor pollicis longus tendon repairs and precludes the need for a free tendon graft.