From qualitative data to a measurement instrument: A clarification and elaboration of choices made in the development of the Patient Scale of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) 3.0.

PURPOSE: To clarify and elaborate on the choices that were made in the development of the Patient Scale of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale 3.0 (POSAS 3.0), based upon the rich information obtained from patients during focus groups and pilot tests. METHODS: The discussions described in this paper are a reflection of the focus group study and pilot tests that were conducted in order to develop the Patient Scale of the POSAS3.0. The focus groups took place in the Netherlands and Australia and included 45 participants. Pilot tests were performed with 15 participants in Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. RESULTS: We discussed the selection, wording and merging of 17 included items. Additionally, the reason for exclusion of 23 characteristics are given. CONCLUSION: Based upon the unique and rich material of patient input obtained, two versions of the Patient Scale of the POSAS3.0 were developed: the Generic version, and the Linear scar version. The discussions and decisions taken during the development are informative for a good understanding of the POSAS 3.0 and are indispensable as a background for future translations and cross-cultural adaptations.

Development of the Patient Scale of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) 3.0: a qualitative study.

PURPOSE: The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) is widely used for measurements of scar quality. This encompasses visual, tactile and sensory characteristics of the scar. The Patient Scale of previous POSAS versions was lacking input from patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop the POSAS3.0, Patient Scale with involvement of adults patients with all scar types, complying with the highest clinimetric standards. METHODS: From February 2018 to April 2019, a series of six focus group interviews were performed in the Netherlands and Australia to identify scar quality characteristics that adults with scars consider to be important. All focus groups were transcribed, anonymized and analysed using a thematic analysis. Relevant characteristics were formulated into items, resulting in a Dutch and English version of the Patient Scale. These drafts were pilot tested in Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and refined accordingly. RESULTS: A total of 21 relevant scar quality characteristics were identified during the focus groups. Two distinct versions of the POSAS3.0, Patient Scale were developed. The Generic version contains 16 items and can be used for all scar types, except linear scars. The Linear Scar version of the Patient Scale contains the same 16 items, with an extra item referring to the widening of scar margins. All included items are rated on a verbal rating scale with five response options. CONCLUSION: Two versions of the POSAS3.0 Patient Scale were developed. Further field tests are being performed to establish the measurement properties and scoring algorithm of the scales.

Human model of burn injury that quantifies the benefit of cooling as a first aid measure.

BACKGROUND: Burn injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cooling is widely practised as a first aid measure, but the efficacy of cooling burns in human skin has not been demonstrated. A safe, consistent, ethically acceptable model of burning and cooling in live human skin in vivo was developed, and used to quantify the effects of cooling. METHODS: Novel apparatus was manufactured to create and cool burns in women who were anaesthetized for breast reconstruction surgery using a deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap. Burns were excised between 1 and 3 h after creation, and analysed using histopathological assessment. RESULTS: All 25 women who were approached agreed to take part in the study. There were no adverse events. Increased duration of contact led to increased burn depth, with a contact time of 7·5 s at 70°C leading to a mid-dermal burn. Burn depth progressed over time following injury, but importantly this was modified by cooling the burn at 16°C for 20 min. On average, cooling salvaged 25·2 per cent of the dermal thickness. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the favourable effects of cooling on human burns. Public heath messaging should emphasize cooling as first aid for burns. This model will allow analysis of the molecular effects of cooling burns, and provide a platform for testing novel therapies aimed at reducing the impact of burn injury.

ANTECEDENTES: Las lesiones por quemadura son una causa importante de morbilidad y mortalidad en todo el mundo. El enfriamiento de las quemaduras se practica ampliamente como medida de primeros auxilios, pero no se ha demostrado su eficacia en la piel de los seres humanos. Para cuantificar los efectos del enfriamiento, se desarrolló un modelo de quemadura y enfriamiento en piel humana in vivo, seguro, estable y éticamente aceptable. MÉTODOS: Se construyó un dispositivo nuevo para crear y enfriar quemaduras en pacientes que fueron anestesiadas para una reconstrucción mamaria utilizando un colgajo perforante de la arteria epigástrica inferior profunda. Las quemaduras se extirparon entre una y tres horas después de su producción y se analizaron por evaluación histopatológica. Para determinar la significación estadística entre grupos se utilizó las pruebas de ANOVA o de t pareadas, según correspondiera. RESULTADOS: Aceptaron participar en el estudio las 25 pacientes a las que se propuso. No hubo efectos adversos. La mayor duración del contacto conllevó un aumento en la profundidad de la quemadura: con un tiempo de contacto de 7,5 segundos a 70°C se obtuvo una quemadura dérmica de segundo grado. La profundidad de la quemadura aumentó con el tiempo de exposición, pero mejoró de forma sustancial al enfriar la quemadura a 16°C durante 20 minutos. El enfriamiento salvó el 25% del espesor dérmico como promedio. CONCLUSIÓN: Este es el primer estudio que demuestra los efectos favorables del enfriamiento sobre las quemaduras humanas. Los consejos de salud deberían hacer más énfasis en el enfriamiento como forma de primeros auxilios en las quemaduras. Este modelo permitirá identificar los efectos moleculares del enfriamiento en las quemaduras y proporcionará una plataforma para probar nuevos tratamientos encaminados a reducir el impacto de las lesiones por quemadura.

Periorbital burns ­ a 6 year review of management and outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Periorbital burns are an infrequent but potentially devastating injury. This study aimed to elucidate the spectrum of such injuries presenting to a UK burns centre and the outcome achieved in the cases requiring periorbital reconstruction for the restoration of function and form. METHODS: Patients admitted to a UK regional burns centre between January 2005 and January 2011 with periorbital burns were identified from the Patient Administration System (PAS), theatre logs and the International Burns Injury database (IBID). Multiple parameters were assessed using patient notes, ITU and hospital image databases. RESULTS: Over 6 years, 167 patients with facial burns requiring surgery were treated, including 103 patients with eyelid burns. The mean burn size was 33% total body surface area. The eyelid burn depth varied; 67% superficial partial thickness, 17% deep dermal and 16% full thickness. Two patients lost complete vision in one eye, one patient underwent amniotic membrane grafting. In total 16 patients required periorbital reconstruction to maintain eye closure, with 1.8 operations on average per patient. Acute surgery was required in 11 patients, whilst late intervention (>3 months) was needed in 5, 2 patients had both acute and delayed surgery. Of the 5 late intervention patients 4 were treated with full thickness skin grafts and 1 with a Z plasty. Average time for final reconstruction with delayed surgery was 4.5 months. CONCLUSION: The goal in management of periorbital burns is preservation of vision, prevention of future complications and restoration of an acceptable aesthetic outcome. Total visual loss is thankfully rare, but early ophthalmology intervention is vital given the evidence of corneal damage as a brief therapeutic window exists.

A systematic review of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in child and adolescent burn research.

INTRODUCTION: Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) can identify important information about patient needs and therapeutic progress. The aim of this review was to identify the PROMs that are being used in child and adolescent burn care and to determine the quality of such scales. METHODS: Computerised and manual bibliographic searches of Medline, Social Sciences Index, Cinahl, Psychinfo, Psycharticles, AMED, and HAPI, were used to identify English-language articles using English-language PROMs from January 2001 to March 2013. The psychometric quality of the PROMs was assessed. RESULTS: 23 studies met the entry criteria and identified 32 different PROMs (31 generic, 1 burns-specific). Overall, the psychometric quality of the PROMs was low; only two generic scales (the Perceived Stigmatisation Questionnaire and the Social Comfort Scale) and only one burns-specific scale (the Children Burn Outcomes Questionnaire for children aged 5-18) had psychometric evidence relevant to this population. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of PROMs did not have psychometric evidence for their use with child or adolescent burn patients. To appropriately identify the needs and treatment progress of child and adolescent burn patients, new burns-specific PROMs need to be developed and validated to reflect issues that are of importance to this population.

Return to activities after breast reduction.

BACKGROUND: Uncertainty exists in the medical literature about recommendations for return to work or driving after breast reduction surgery. METHODS: A survey was sent to 138 plastic surgeons in the United Kingdom enquiring about their recommended timing of return to work or driving a car depending of level of activity. Data was evaluated with univariate ANOVA test and a p<0.05 significance level. RESULTS: Out of 73 surgeons who responded, 13% did not give any specific advice regards to return to work and 30% for return to driving. The remainder suggested to return to work and driving after about 19 days each. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this consensus of opinion of plastic surgeons with an interest in breast surgery it appears reasonable to suggest a recovery period of approximately 3 weeks subject to individual variations. Further evidence is needed to comment on the interaction of wound healing and pain and return to driving and work.

The factors considered by editors of plastic surgery journals in evaluating submitted manuscripts.

The publication of clinical- or laboratory-based research in peer-reviewed journals is seen as the final end point rewarding many months of detailed work. For both trainees and established consultants alike, having a submitted manuscript rejected is both frustrating and disheartening. All journals publish details regarding manuscript structure and preparation. However these "in-house" guidelines tell little about what editors are looking for in their journals, and indeed what can be done to ensure acceptance of any work that researchers submit. The authors surveyed the editors of 40 peer-reviewed plastic surgery and related subspeciality journals regarding factors that influence their decision to accept or reject a manuscript. The aim was to establish factors that influence editors' decisions regarding submitted papers, which then would enable aspects to be highlighted that authors could address to expedite publication and produce relevant guidelines to facilitate this process. The results demonstrate that editors value an original, rigorously designed manuscript with valid methodology and appropriate conclusions. Adherence to the philosophy and aims of the journal and the journal's target audience will further improve the likelihood of successful publication for the submitting authors.

Prospective survey of factors affecting risk discussion during consent in a surgical specialty.

BACKGROUND: The Department of Health in the UK has developed new consent guidance but without clear recommendations on how the incidence and severity of a given risk should influence its discussion during the process of obtaining informed consent. Plastic surgery is a litigation-prone specialty that offers a paradigm for assessing attitudes to consent. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all surgeons at six plastic and reconstructive surgery units within the UK. It enquired what incidence of a relatively frequent minor severity risk such as wound infection, or an extremely rare but major risk such as stroke, would merit its discussion when obtaining informed consent for elective surgery. RESULTS: Sixty of 85 questionnaires were returned. For a minor risk, there was a consensus that an incidence threshold of 5 per cent or greater would necessitate its discussion. For a major risk, the modal threshold was 0.1 per cent, but there was a greater variability of response. CONCLUSION: There was a wide variation of opinion as to how frequently a major risk must occur before it is likely to be conveyed to a patient during the process of consent. The findings suggest that recent change in case law has yet to disseminate fully in one surgical specialty, with the potential for the challenge that consent is not 'informed'.

Fine needle aspiration in plastic surgery outpatients: a retrospective study.

A survey suggested that fine needle aspiration cytology of masses in plastic surgery outpatient clinics was suboptimal. A cytopathologist gave training in the technique and the effectiveness of this intervention was audited. A total of 236 aspirates were taken from 147 patients in the earlier time period and 215 from 149 in the later period. The overall inadequate aspirate rate remained constant at 43%. The most common reasons for poor aspirates were excess blood, unrepresentative adipose tissue and insufficient cellular material. When the specimen was adequate after training, the sensitivity and specificity of the investigation were 96% and 100%, respectively. We present methods for sample optimization. Alternative strategies may be to limit aspiration to one clinician or to refer the patient to a cytopathologist experienced in the technique.

Identifying protein production in wound healing: current techniques.

Proteins regulate would healing. Knowledge of the proteins present in poorly healing wounds may reveal new targets for treatment. This article describes how proteomics can be used to help identify the proteins involved in would healing.

A 23-year review of the management of acute retention of urine: progressing or regressing?

A retrospective review of all patients in Oxford under the care of one consultant urologist (GJF) who presented on alternate years over a 23-year period with acute retention of urine was undertaken. Data were collected on the: (i) number of patients discharged from hospital with an in-dwelling catheter; (ii) duration of catheter drainage prior to surgery; and (iii) duration of postoperative stay. In all, 244 patients underwent prostatectomy. Over the 23-year period, there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients discharged prior to surgery (P < 0.001) as well as their median duration of catheterisation (P < 0.001): more than 50% were catheterised for more than 3 months in 1997. Conversely, post-operative hospital stay has decreased. Prolonged catheter drainage carries considerable morbidity, with 72% experiencing some complication. Most patients feel they lose dignity, 69% consider it uncomfortable and more than 50% complain of burning sensations, bladder spasms and a persistent desire to micturate. We recommend that patients should not be placed on routine waiting lists where they are liable to remain for an unacceptably long time. Targets should be set to admit them within a set period and theatre lists made available. We feel that six weeks is a realistic target.