Closed Incision Negative-Pressure Therapy on Free Flap Donor Sites: A Meta-analysis of Postoperative Outcomes.

Background: Closed incision negative-pressure therapy (ciNPT) has become increasingly used on surgical sites to attempt to minimize postoperative complications. The literature describing the benefits of ciNPT in reducing donor site morbidity after free tissue transfer is limited. This review compares the effectiveness of ciNPT and conventional dressings in reducing donor site complications after free tissue transfer. Methods: A systematic review of PubMed and Ovid (MEDLINE) utilizing the search terms ((flap) AND (donor)) AND ((negative pressure) OR (vacuum)) was conducted. Bibliographies of selected articles were also searched. Relevant outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results: After screening 156 articles, 12 studies were included in the study with a total of 1074 donor sites. The following postoperative complications at the donor site after a free tissue transfer were analyzed: wound dehiscence, infection, seroma, hematoma, and skin necrosis. Use of ciNPT was associated with lower incidence of wound dehiscence compared with conventional dressings (OR: 0.37; 95% CI, 0.23-0.58). The incidence of infection, seroma, hematoma, and skin necrosis were overall lower in the ciNPT group; although, this was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Use of ciNPT was associated with a significantly lower incidence of free flap donor site wound dehiscence compared with conventional dressings. The use of ciNPT on free flap donor sites appears to have overall lower rates of other wound complications such as seroma, hematoma, skin necrosis, and infection.

The Impact of United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Transitioning To Pass/Fail on Medical Student Perception of Research Needed to Match Into One's Preferred Specialty.

Purpose To evaluate how the transition of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 to a pass/fail scoring influenced medical student perceptions of the importance of research required to match into their preferred residency specialty. Methods A 14-item survey was distributed by e-mail to medical students at one medical school in the southeastern United States in November of 2021. Responses were compared between medical students taking USMLE Step 1 pass/fail in the future and medical students taking USMLE Step 1 for a three-digit score. Results A total of 168 medical students responded to the survey with 98 respondents who planned on taking USMLE Step 1 pass/fail (45 first-year medical students (MS1) and 53 MS2) and 70 respondents who took USMLE Step 1 for a numerical score (37 MS3 and 33 MS4). There were no differences in how each cohort scored the level of importance of research in matching into their preferred residency specialty (p=0.10); however, those taking USMLE Step 1 pass/fail believe an average of 4.6 research experiences are necessary to match into their preferred residency, compared to only 3.4 research experiences for those who took it for a numerical score (p=0.04). Conclusion No statistically significant difference in the perceived importance of research in matching into one's preferred residency specialty was found between cohorts. However, the pass/fail cohort believes they will need more research experiences to match their chosen specialty than the numerical score cohort. Results could indicate that students participate in more research and extracurricular activities to be more competitive for residency applications.

Brent Technique of Repair Versus Nagata Auricular Reconstruction for Microtia Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Up to 17.4 in every 10,000 births are affected by microtia, but no consensus exists on a gold standard technique for autogenous repair. In this study, the authors compare 2 common methods-the Brent and Nagata autogenous costal cartilage ear reconstruction techniques. A systematic review of the literature and a quantitative meta-analysis to compare the outcomes of these 2 approaches were performed. The outcomes analyzed included rates of infection, necrosis, cartilage exposure, cartilage resorption, hematoma, wire extrusion, and hypertrophic scar. METHODS: A MEDLINE database systematic review with the following keywords: microtia, Brent, and Nagata was performed. Case reports and articles without original data or patient outcomes were excluded. Inclusion methods for study selection are outlined in Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/SCS/F461 , below. The prevalence of outcomes for each study was analyzed through meta-analysis of proportions using Stata. RESULTS: A total of 536 potential studies were retrieved for review. Twelve of these studies met inclusion criteria. Four studies utilized the Brent method of repair with the inclusion of 563 ear reconstructions. Nine studies implemented the Nagata technique in 2304 reconstructions. Two studies directly compared the Brent (327 ears) and Nagata (471 ears) techniques. The calculated rate and 95% confidence intervals are summarized in Supplemental Digital Content 2, http://links.lww.com/SCS/F461 . There were no statistically significant differences in complication rates between the Brent and Nagata microtic reconstruction techniques identified in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The Brent and Nagata microtia reconstruction techniques have no difference in the risk of infection, necrosis, cartilage exposure, cartilage resorption, hematoma, wire extrusion, or hypertrophic scars.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the influence of sociodemographic factors on amputation in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

OBJECTIVE: To identify disparities in sociodemographic factors that are associated with major lower limb amputation in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify studies that reported major lower limb amputation rates in patients with PAD among different sociodemographic groups. Data that compared amputation rates on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, income, insurance, geography, and hospital type were collected and described. Outcomes were then aggregated and standardized, and a meta-analysis was performed to synthesis data into single odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: Forty-one studies were included in the review. There was no association found between males and females (OR, 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90-1.00). Compared with Whites, higher rates of amputation were seen among Blacks/African Americans (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.81-2.26) and Native Americans (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.04-1.45). No significant association was found between Whites and Asians, Native Hawaiians, or Pacific Islanders (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.00-1.33). Hispanics had higher rates of amputation compared with non-Hispanics (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.22-1.52). Compared with private insurance, higher rates of amputation were seen among Medicare patients (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.27-1.50), Medicaid patients (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.44-1.76), and noninsured patients (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.02-1.95). Compared with the richest income quartile, higher rates of amputation were seen among the second income quartile (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.05-1.15), third income quartile (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.07-1.35), and bottom income quartile (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.24-1.49). There was no association found between rural and urban populations (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 0.92-1.97) or between teaching and nonteaching hospitals (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.91-1.12). CONCLUSIONS: Our study has identified a number of disparities and quantified the influence of sociodemographic factors on major lower limb amputation rates owing to PAD between groups. We believe these findings can be used to better target interventions aimed at decreasing amputation rates, although further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms behind our findings.

Autologous Fat Versus Hydroxyapatite Cement for Use in Frontal Sinus Obliteration: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Frontal sinus obliteration is a possible terminus for the management of chronic sinusitis, frontal bone trauma, cancer extirpation, or mucocele. The mucosa of the sinus is stripped and space obliterated with either autogenic, allopathic, or synthetic materials. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of autologous fat and hydroxyapatite cement (HAC) for frontal sinus obliteration. METHODS: A multidatabase systematic review was conducted to collect outcomes on frontal sinus obliterations with either autologous fat or HAC. Outcomes collected included infection of the frontal sinus or obliteration material, mucocele formation, skin infection at the operative site, hematoma or seroma, cosmetic defect, donor site infection, and need for revision procedure. Prevalence of outcomes was analyzed through meta-analysis of proportions. RESULTS: Twenty studies were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. Sixteen studies reported outcomes for 667 patients obliterated with autologous fat, and 7 studies reported outcomes for 100 patients obliterated with HAC. Prevalence of infection of the frontal sinus or obliteration material, mucocele formation, skin infection at the operative site, hematoma or seroma, and cosmetic defect did not differ statistically between the cohorts. Donor site infection secondary to fat harvesting for fat obliteration had a prevalence of <0.01. Revision rate was 0.04 (95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.8) for fat obliteration and 0.10 (95% confidence interval, 0.00-0.33) for HAC obliteration. CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant differences in the studied outcomes were detected between obliterations with autologous fat and HAC, suggesting that either is equally suitable and may be up to the surgeon's preference.