Aesthetic Enhancement of the Brow using Hydroxyapatite.

BACKGROUND: An aesthetically pleasing appearance of the 'eyes' usually includes good projection of the outer brow. Weak bony projection of the superolateral periorbital region tends to be not only less attractive, but also predisposes to hooding over the temporal part of the upper lid. Congenital lack of skeletal volume is exacerbated by ageing due to lipoatrophy and soft tissue laxity. The rationale and technique for performing skeletal augmentation of the superolateral orbital rim is described, along with long-term results from a series of cases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A series of patients having augmentation of the superolateral orbital rim, using the technique described, were evaluated. A forehead crease incision was used, then a precise subperiosteal pocket developed in the lateral brow region between the supraorbital foramen and the superior temporal septum. The hydroxyapatite granule mixture was incrementally placed using modified syringes. The patients were followed to assess the long-term results. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty patients, 80% women, mean age = 53 years [range 23-78] underwent supraorbital rim augmentation using subperiosteal hydroxyapatite granules, during a 12-year period, commencing in 2007. The mean follow-up was 41 months (range 1-12 years). The mean volume used for augmentation was 1.0 mL per side (range 0.4-2.3 mL). Projection of the upper lateral periorbital prominence was effectively increased, resulting in enhancement of the brow position and shape. Twenty-seven patients (11%) had an undercorrection, requiring additional volume augmentation, all during the first three years of the experience. Twelve patients (5%) required correction of contour irregularities. There were no infections and no long-term complications. Resorption of the hydroxyapatite volume over time was not noted. CONCLUSION: The aesthetic significance of superolateral orbital rim projection is introduced. Patients who have a degree of skeletal deficiency of the zygomatic process of the frontal bone should be considered for hydroxyapatite augmentation of the bone as a complement to upper lid blepharoplasty and brow elevation. This procedure should be considered in the spectrum of upper periorbital aesthetic procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: 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 .

Improving glycemic control with the adjunct use of a data management software program.

BACKGROUND: Published studies have supported the implementation of tight glucose control (TGC) programs to improve patient outcomes and reduce mortality rates. However, measuring a program's efficiency is challenging, because of a lack of systems that capture data, allow access to data, and support analysis and interpretation in a near prospective time frame. We hypothesized that providing clinicians access to real-time blood glucose (BG) results reports could improve the efficacy of our TGC program. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of BG data during a 12-month period in a surgical trauma intensive care unit at a level I trauma center. A unit-specific insulin algorithm was used throughout the study. We compared BG values before and after the implementation of a data management software program that allowed clinicians access to real-time BG results reports. Reports were run daily and weekly to monitor the unit's TGC program. RESULTS: A total of 70 616 BG values from 1044 patients were analyzed. An overall decrease was observed in the BG level mean, from 121 mg/dL to 112 mg/dL (P < .001), as well as a decrease in the aggregated mean across patients, from 132 mg/dL to 119 mg/dL (P < .001), after implementation of the software. The percentage of values within the target range of 80 to 110 mg/dL increased from 38.9% to 50.4% (P < .001). The percentage of BG values less than 70 increased from 2.7% to 3.4% (P < .001). However, the percentage of severe hypoglyce-mic episodes (≤ 40 mg/dL) remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Access to real-time aggregated BG data reports through the use of a data management software program improved the efficacy of our TGC program.

Comparing three pedagogical approaches to psychomotor skills acquisition.

BACKGROUND: We compared traditional pedagogical approaches such as time- and repetition-based methods with proficiency-based training. METHODS: Laparoscopic novices were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 training conditions. In experiment 1, participants in the time condition practiced for 60 minutes, participants in the repetition condition performed 5 practice trials, and participants in the proficiency condition trained until reaching a predetermined proficiency goal. In experiment 2, practice time and number of trials were equated across conditions. RESULTS: In experiment 1, participants in the proficiency-based training conditions outperformed participants in the other 2 conditions (P < .014); however, these participants trained longer (P < .001) and performed more repetitions (P < .001). In experiment 2, despite training for similar amounts of time and number of repetitions, participants in the proficiency condition outperformed their counterparts (P < .038). In both experiments, the standard deviations for the proficiency condition were smaller than the other conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Proficiency-based training results in trainees who perform uniformly and at a higher level than traditional training methodologies.

Liver dysfunction by model for end-stage liver disease score improves mortality prediction in injured patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Cirrhosis is associated with poor outcomes in the trauma setting. We aimed to evaluate the utility of Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) in assessing additional mortality risk in trauma patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: Injured patients with liver dysfunction were identified by hospital and trauma registry query. Presence of cirrhosis was confirmed by laparotomy, biopsy, or imaging. MELD classification, Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) classification, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Trauma ISS (TRISS) were recorded, and the primary outcome variable was hospital mortality. We assessed the validity of the four scoring systems in prediction of mortality, individually and in combinations, by comparing the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC), which is the probability, for scores that increase with the risk of death that a randomly chosen deceased subject will score higher than a randomly chosen living subject. RESULTS: A total of 163 patients with confirmed cirrhosis were included. ISS (AUC = 0.849, p < 0.001) and TRISS (AUC = 0.826, p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of mortality. MELD (AUC = 0.725) was not a significantly stronger predictor of mortality than CTP (AUC = 0.639; p = 0.38). ISS + MELD (AUC = 0.891) and ISS + CTP (AUC = 0.897) were stronger predictors than ISS alone (AUC = 0.849; p < 0.001) for both. The MELD score was more available from the records than the CTP score (91.4% vs. 75.5%). CONCLUSION: In trauma patients with cirrhosis, a score that evaluates the degree of liver dysfunction enhances the ability of ISS alone to predict mortality. The MELD score is more readily available than the CTP score for the prediction of mortality in trauma patients.

Pediatric vascular injuries: acute management and early outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Although uncommon in children, traumatic vascular injuries have the potential for lifelong disability. We reviewed these injuries, their acute management, and early outcomes at a Level I trauma center. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients identified through trauma registry was query of all noniatrogenic vascular injuries in a pediatric population during a 13-year period. Demographics, injury type and management, concomitant injuries, and inpatient outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: From 1995 to 2008, 8,247 children with traumatic injuries were admitted. Of which 116 (1.4%) sustained 138 significant vascular injuries; 111 arterial and 27 venous. Mean age was 12.7 years ± 4.1 years. Penetrating mechanism was more frequent (57.8%; 67 of 116) than blunt (42.2%; 49 of 116). The overall mean injury severity score was 17.3, of which 12.3 ± 11.7 was for penetrating trauma and 24.1 ± 19.3 for blunt trauma. Thirteen of the 36 patients with torso injuries and one with carotid/jugular injury died. The surviving 102 patients sustained 118 vascular injuries (102 arterial and 16 venous). Of this group, 15 (14.6%) had multiple vascular injuries. There were 23 (22.5%) with torso injuries, 72 (70.6%) with extremity injuries, and 7 (6.9%) with cerebrovascular injuries. Primary repair was the most common arterial repair technique for survivors (25.5%, 26 of 102) and was used more frequently in penetrating trauma (35.0%, 21 of 60) than blunt trauma (12.0%, 5 of 42). Limb salvage was 97.4% (113 of 116). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric vascular trauma is uncommon. Penetrating mechanism is more common than blunt. Injuries to the torso carry a high mortality. Limb salvage is almost universal.