Decreasing Opioids in Outpatient Breast Surgery with an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Program and Preoperative Education.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs have been detailed in the literature predominantly in the inpatient setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an ERAS protocol with a preoperative educational class on opioid prescribing and patient outcomes for outpatient breast surgery. METHODS: An ERAS protocol was formulated focusing on preoperative education, multimodal pain control, and an intraoperative block. The study was conducted as an institutional review board-approved retrospective review. Women undergoing breast reconstruction revision, breast reduction, delayed insertion of prosthesis, tissue expander to implant exchange, and matching procedures were included. The patients were separated into pre-ERAS and ERAS cohorts. Data on demographic characteristics, postanesthesia care unit (PACU) length of stay, PACU oral morphine equivalent (OME) consumption, outpatient OME prescriptions, major and minor complications, and need for additional opioid prescriptions were collected. Analysis was performed with the Fisher exact test or chi-square test as appropriate. RESULTS: Group 1 (pre-ERAS) and group 2 (ERAS) each included 68 patients. The cohorts had similar age, body mass index, diabetes status, and tobacco use. Group 1 was prescribed an average of 216 OMEs, compared with 126.4 OMEs for group 2, a 41.5% decrease ( P < 0.0001). The pre-ERAS group consumed an average of 23.3 OMEs in the PACU versus 16.6 OMEs in the ERAS group ( P = 0.005). Fewer patients in the ERAS group required additional prescriptions for narcotic pain medication at postoperative follow-up ( P = 0.116). No differences were seen in major or minor complications. CONCLUSION: An ERAS protocol that uses a multimodal approach to pain control and preoperative patient education is useful in the outpatient setting and can help decrease opioid consumption. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Microsurgery in the era of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges to microsurgeons. The virus is highly transmissible, with increased risk during operations that involve the aerodigestive tract. It is important to be able to identify high-risk operations and scenarios to guide management decisions and selection of personal protective equipment. Preoperative testing is a key element in identifying high-risk scenarios, and preoperative testing protocols are essential to maintaining safety in the COVID-19 era. Because COVID-19 can be transmitted via the conjunctiva, adaptations to loupes and microscopes are necessary to safely perform microsurgery in high-risk scenarios. We outline a potential risk stratification algorithm, as well as precautions for each scenario. Potential areas for innovation are also discussed.

Assessing the Correlation Between a Surgeon's Ability to Draw a Procedure and Ability to Perform the Procedure.

OBJECTIVES: The ability to assess a trainee's technical skill in a manner that maintains patient safety is critical to resident education. To do so, senior plastic surgery educators frequently ask residents to draw their proposed operation, presuming that a surgeon's ability to perform a surgery is reflected in his or her ability to diagram the procedure, independent of artistic ability. The purpose of this study was to delineate the relationship between the ability to draw a surgical procedure and execute it in a simulated model, and to determine if the ability to draw a procedure depends on artistic ability. DESIGN: Participants in varying levels of knowledge and surgical skill were asked to draw a 4-strand cruciate tendon repair and subsequently perform the procedure on a validated, simulated model. The participants were graded according to Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scales by 2 blinded hand surgeon examiners. Statistical analysis was performed in SAS 9.4 with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. SETTING: The study was performed at Baylor Scott and White Health in Temple, TX in an office-based laboratory setting. Participants Forty participants comprised of senior medical students, plastic/orthopedic surgery residents, and plastic/hand surgery attendings. All 40 participants entered and completed the study. RESULTS: A statistically significant strongly positive correlation was found between overall assessment of drawing and overall assessment of performing the surgical procedure (p = 0.004). At the same time, the assessment of ability to draw the procedure was not associated with a general ability to draw or previous art training (p = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the use of drawing a specific procedure as an assessment tool to evaluate a surgeon's ability to perform a procedure.

A Protocol for Safe Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant implications for citizens globally and for the healthcare system, including plastic surgeons. Operations of the upper aerodigestive tract, including head and neck reconstruction and craniomaxillofacial procedures, are of particularly high risk because they may aerosolize the virus and lead to severe surgeon and surgical team illness. Until the virus is eradicated or widespread vaccination occurs, we recommend certain precautions to safely perform these operations. We propose evolving algorithms for head and neck reconstruction and facial trauma surgeries to maintain provider safety. Central to these guidelines are preoperative COVID-19 testing, appropriate personal protective equipment, and operative techniques/principles that minimize operative time and aerosolization of the virus. We aim to provide efficient care to our patients throughout this pandemic, while maintaining the safety of plastic surgeons and other healthcare providers.

A Safe Transitions Pathway for post-craniotomy neurological surgery patients: high-value care that bypasses the intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: High-value medical care is described as care that leads to excellent patient outcomes, high patient satisfaction, and efficient costs. Neurosurgical care in particular can be expensive for the hospital, as substantial costs are accrued during the operation and throughout the postoperative stay. The authors developed a "Safe Transitions Pathway" (STP) model in which select patients went to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and then the neuro-transitional care unit (NTCU) rather than being directly admitted to the neurosciences intensive care unit (ICU) following a craniotomy. They sought to evaluate the clinical and financial outcomes as well as the impact on the patient experience for patients who participated in the STP and bypassed the ICU level of care. METHODS: Patients were enrolled during the 2018 fiscal year (FY18; July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018). The electronic medical record was reviewed for clinical information and the hospital cost accounting record was reviewed for financial information. Nurses and patients were given a satisfaction survey to assess their respective impressions of the hospital stay and of the recovery pathway. RESULTS: No patients who proceeded to the NTCU postoperatively were upgraded to the ICU level of care postoperatively. There were no deaths in the STP group, and no patients required a return to the operating room during their hospitalization (95% CI 0%-3.9%). There was a trend toward fewer 30-day readmissions in the STP patients than in the standard pathway patients (1.2% [95% CI 0.0%-6.8%] vs 5.1% [95% CI 2.5%-9.1%], p = 0.058). The mean number of ICU days saved per case was 1.20. The average postprocedure length of stay was reduced by 0.25 days for STP patients. Actual FY18 direct cost savings from 94 patients who went through the STP was $422,128. CONCLUSIONS: Length of stay, direct cost per case, and ICU days were significantly less after the adoption of the STP, and ICU bed utilization was freed for acute admissions and transfers. There were no substantial complications or adverse patient outcomes in the STP group.

Pre-expanded Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap.

The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap can be used to cover large defects of the proximal lower extremity, abdominal wall, perineum, vulva, and buttock. Pre-expanding DIEP flaps cause a possible delay phenomenon improving vascularity, decrease donor site morbidity, and increase the area that can be covered. Pre-expansion requires staged procedures, has risk of extrusion and infection, causes temporary contour deformity during the expansion process, and requires a longer course. Pre-expanded DIEP flaps can be a useful flap with proper patient selection and planning.

Pre-expanded Internal Mammary Artery Perforator Flap.

Internal mammary artery (IMA)-based pedicled perforator flaps can be used to reconstruct defects of the neck and anterior chest wall. Pre-expansion causes a possible delay phenomenon, improves flap survival, and decreases donor site morbidity. It also increases the area that can be covered. Pre-expanding can allow for perforator flaps that require a shorter arc of rotation. The pre-expanded internal mammary artery perforator (IMAP) flap is an excellent option for patients who have undergone multiple failed reconstructions and require large amounts of soft tissue while lacking other donor sites.

HST2 mediates SIR2-independent life-span extension by calorie restriction.

Calorie restriction (CR) extends the life span of numerous species, from yeast to rodents. Yeast Sir2 is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase that has been proposed to mediate the effects of CR. However, this hypothesis has been challenged by the observation that CR can extend yeast life span in the absence of Sir2. Here, we show that Sir2-independent life-span extension is mediated by Hst2, a Sir2 homolog that promotes the stability of repetitive ribosomal DNA, the same mechanism by which Sir2 extends life span. These findings demonstrate that the maintenance of DNA stability is critical for yeast life-span extension by CR and suggest that, in higher organisms, multiple members of the Sir2 family may regulate life span in response to diet.