Surgical Management of Breast Capsular Contracture-A Multi-institutional Data Analysis of Risk Factors for Early Complications.

BACKGROUND: Capsular contracture (CC) is a common complication following implant-based breast surgery, often requiring surgical intervention. Yet, little is known about risk factors and outcomes following CC surgery. METHODS: We reviewed the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2008-2021) to identify female patients diagnosed with CC and treated surgically. Outcomes of interest included the incidence of surgical and medical complications at 30-days, reoperations, and readmissions. Confounder-adjusted multivariable analyses were performed to establish risk factors. RESULTS: 5,057 patients with CC were identified (mean age: 55 ± 12 years and mean body mass index [BMI]: 26 ± 6 kg/m2). While 2,841 (65%) women underwent capsulectomy, capsulotomy was performed in 742 patients (15%). Implant removal and replacement were recorded in 1,160 (23%) and 315 (6.2%) cases, respectively. 319 (6.3%) patients experienced postoperative complications, with 155 (3.1%) reoperations and 99 (2.0%) readmissions. While surgical adverse events were recorded in 139 (2.7%) cases, 86 (1.7%) medical complications occurred during the 30 day follow-up. In multivariate analyses, increased BMI (OR: 1.04; p = 0.009), preoperative diagnosis of hypertension (OR: 1.48; p = 0.004), and inpatient setting (OR: 4.15; p < 0.001) were identified as risk factors of complication occurrence. CONCLUSION: Based on 14 years of multi-institutional data, we calculated a net 30 day complication rate of 6.3% after the surgical treatment of CC. We identified higher BMI, hypertension, and inpatient setting as independent risk factors of postoperative complications. Plastic surgeons may wish to integrate these findings into their perioperative workflows, thus optimizing patient counseling and determining candidates' eligibility for CC surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Neural Interconnections of Extracranial Nerves in Headache Surgery: Anatomical Landmarks and Clinical Implications - A Review of Literature.

Headache disorders (HD) remain a nationwide challenge for the US healthcare system affecting nearly 60% of the US population. Surgical deactivation of the peripheral trigger site, also referred to as headache surgery, represents an effective treatment for patients with refractory HD pain or non-response to pharmacological regimes. Research stemming from other surgical specialties has underlined the clinical relevance of neural interconnections in refining diagnostic algorithms, adapting surgical techniques, and improving overall patient outcomes. While different HD trigger points have been identified, there is a paucity of studies discussing these mostly sensory neural interconnections between these trigger points in a comprehensive fashion. Herein, we aim to provide an overview of the specific nerves involved in HD and synthesize the current literature on HD nerve interconnections to, ultimately, deduce clinical implications. Overall, this line of research may help refine the perioperative workflow and enhance HD patient care.

Surgical management of breast fat necrosis: Multi-institutional data analysis of early outcomes and risk factors for complications.

BACKGROUND: Breast fat necrosis (BFN) is a non-cancerous condition affecting the adipose tissue. Despite incidence rates of up to 25% after breast surgery, little is known about risk factors and postoperative outcomes following the surgical treatment of BFN. METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program of the American College of Surgeons (2008-2021) was queried to identify female patients diagnosed with and surgically treated for BFN. Outcomes of interest included 30-day surgical and medical complications, reoperation, and readmission. We performed confounder-adjusted multivariable analyses to determine risk factors. RESULTS: The study population included 1179 female patients (mean age: 55.8 ± 13.8 years), of whom 96% (n = 1130) underwent direct excision and 4.2% (n = 49) received debridement of necrotic tissue. The majority of cases were operated on by general surgeons (n = 867; 74%) in the outpatient setting (n = 1107; 94%). Overall, 74 patients (6.3%) experienced postoperative adverse events, most of which were surgical complications (n = 43; 3.7%). Twenty-one (1.8%) women had to return to operating room, while readmission was reported in 18 (1.5%) cases. Adverse events were significantly more likely to occur in patients with chronic heart failure (p = 0.002) and higher wound classes (p = 0.033). CONCLUSION: Complication rates following the surgical management of BFN were found to be relatively high and seen to correlate with the setting. We identified chronic heart failure and wound contamination as risk factors for complication occurrence. These evidence-based insights may sensitize surgeons to critically balance patients' eligibility for BFN surgery and refine perioperative algorithms.

The Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for COVID-19: A Review.

The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic produced high and excessive demands for hospitalizations and equipment with depletion of critical care resources. The results of these extreme therapeutic efforts have been sobering. Further, we are months away from a robust vaccination effort, and current therapies provide limited clinical relief. Therefore, several empirical oxygenation support initiatives have been initiated with intermittent hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy to overcome the unrelenting and progressive hypoxemia during maximum ventilator support in intubated patients, despite high FiO2. Overall, few patients have been successfully treated in different locations across the globe. More recently, less severe patients at the edge of impending hypoxemia were exposed to HBO preventing intubation and obtaining the rapid resolution of symptoms. The few case descriptions indicate large variability in protocols and exposure frequency. This summary illustrates the biological mechanisms of action of increased O2 pressure, hoping to clarify more appropriate protocols and more useful application of HBO in COVID-19 treatment.