Corrigendum: Examining the Correlation between Objective Injury Parameters, Personality Traits and Adjustment Measures among Burn Victims.

[This corrects the article on p. 49 in vol. 3, PMID: 25874193.].

Effects of tracheostomy on well-being and body-image perceptions.

OBJECTIVE: Quality of life after tracheostomy was addressed by measuring its impact on well being and body image perceptions. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A controlled study in a laryngotracheal clinic of a tertiary referral center. Three groups were studied: 24 cannulated, 19 decannulated, and 20 noncannulated patients. They filled up 3 conventional questionnaires. RESULTS: (1) Satisfaction-with-life scale: reduced scores were detected between cannulated and noncannulated patients. (2) Personality traits: neuroticism and extroversion: no differences were noted. (3) Body cathexis scale: both cannulated and decannulated patients scored less than noncannulated. In tracheostomy-specific issues, decannulated patients scored better than cannulated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced scores after tracheostomy indicate an overall diminished quality of life. These changes correlate with personality traits. Decannulated patients exhibited only slight improvement indicating an incomplete psychosocial recovery. SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first report on tracheostomy related quality of life in noncancer patients conducted with specific psychological questionnaires.

Examining the Correlation between Objective Injury Parameters, Personality Traits, and Adjustment Measures among Burn Victims.

BACKGROUND: Burn victims experience immense physical and mental hardship during their process of rehabilitation and regaining functionality. We examined different objective burn-related factors as well as psychological ones, in the form of personality traits that may affect the rehabilitation process and its outcome. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence and correlation of specific personality traits and objective injury-related parameters on the adjustment of burn victims post-injury. METHODS: Sixty-two male patients admitted to our burn unit due to burn injuries were compared with 36 healthy male individuals by use of questionnaires to assess each group's psychological adjustment parameters. Multivariate and hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to identify differences between the groups. RESULTS: A significant negative correlation was found between the objective burn injury severity (e.g., total body surface area and burn depth) and the adjustment of burn victims (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, Table 3). Moreover, patients more severely injured tend to be more neurotic (p < 0.001), and less extroverted and agreeable (p < 0.01, Table 4). CONCLUSION: Extroverted burn victims tend to adjust better to their post-injury life while the neurotic patients tend to have difficulties adjusting. This finding may suggest new tools for early identification of maladjustment-prone patients and therefore provide them with better psychological support in a more dedicated manner.

[Sex reassignment surgery].

Israel is among the few countries in the world where sex reassignment surgery (SRS) is performed in public hospitals. Today, the only center performing SRS in Israel is the Sheba Medical Center. A multidisciplinary committee grants authorization permitting surgery after a follow-up period of two years. We found that this multidisciplinary approach leads to the best therapeutic results. We briefly present the pre-operative evaluation, operative approach, post-operative course, final results and complications of sex reassignment surgery. This article aims to inform physicians of this therapeutic option, and the indications for referral.