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Abstract. Rehabilitation for patients sustaining isolated and multiple musculoskeletal injuries due to trauma remains a mainstay of recovery. There are a wide variety of systems in place to manage the rehabilitation process. This article describes the post-traumatic rehabilitation procedures from 2 member countries of the International Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Israel and South Africa. The systems are reflective of the clear differences between these 2 countries with vastly different economic strata and health care systems. In Israel, the rehabilitation programs and resources are most likely the result of the mature social support systems and the trauma experience. In South Africa, the programs are reflective of a two-tier health care system, with patients exposed to varying levels of rehabilitation resources.

IMPORTANCE:. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an exceptional physical situation and may lead to significant psychological, spiritual, and social distress in patients and their next of kin. Furthermore, clinicians might experience distress related to a CPR event. Specialist palliative care (sPC) integration could address these aspects but is not part of routine care. OBJECTIVES:. This study aimed to explore perspectives on sPC integration during and after CPR. A needs assessment for sPC, possible triggers indicating need, and implementation strategies were addressed. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:. A multiprofessional qualitative semistructured focus group study was conducted in a German urban academic teaching hospital. Participants were clinicians (nursing staff, residents, and consultants) working in the emergency department and ICUs (internal medicine and surgical). ANALYSIS:. The focus groups were recorded and subsequently transcribed. Data material was analyzed using the content-structuring content analysis according to Kuckartz. RESULTS:. Seven focus groups with 18 participants in total were conducted online from July to November 2022. Six main categories (two to five subcategories) were identified: understanding (of palliative care and death), general CPR conditions (e.g., team, debriefing, and strains), prognosis (e.g., preexisting situation, use of extracorporeal support), next of kin (e.g., communication, presence during CPR), treatment plan (patient will and decision-making), and implementation of sPC (e.g., timing, trigger factors). CONCLUSIONS:. Perceptions about the need for sPC to support during and after CPR depend on roles, areas of practice, and individual understanding of sPC. Although some participants perceive CPR itself as a trigger for sPC, others define, for example, pre-CPR-existing multimorbidity or complex family dynamics as possible triggers. Suggestions for implementation are multifaceted, especially communication by sPC is emphasized. Specific challenges of extracorporeal CPR need to be explored further. Overall, the focus groups show that the topic is considered relevant, and studies on outcomes are warranted.

Background:. Oncoplastic breast conservation has been classically divided into volume displacement (VD) or volume replacement (VR) techniques. There have been few descriptions of merging these two approaches. This report describes our experience combining Wise-pattern VD and autologous VR to repair extensive partial mastectomy defects in patients with ptosis. Methods:. A retrospective chart review was performed for patients who underwent combined Wise-pattern VD surgery and autologous VR by the author from June 2017 to June 2023, with at least 6 months follow-up. Patient demographics, oncological and intraoperative details, and complications were recorded. Results:. Forty patients underwent Wise-pattern VD surgery combined with a medial intercostal artery perforator flap (five patients), lateral thoracic artery perforator/lateral intercostal artery perforator flap (18 patients), anterior intercostal artery perforator flap (five patients), or muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi flap (12 patients). The average tumor size was 4.0 cm (range, 1.5–9.1 cm), and specimen weight was 152 g (range, 33–415 g). Six patients (15%) required re-operation for positive margins. There was delayed healing of three (7.5%) donor sites. There were no flap failures. Two (5%) patients had clinically apparent fat necrosis without requirement for surgical revision. Conclusions:. This report demonstrates the feasibility of combining Wise-pattern VD and autologous VR. We propose that oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery be no longer divided into two mutually exclusive approaches and that surgeons make liberal use of combining these approaches to address challenging cases of breast-conserving surgery.

Background:. The Plastic Surgery Central Application (PSCA), designed to provide an equitable and streamlined application for both applicants and programs, was first designed in 2019, piloted in the 2020–21 application cycle, and is now in its fourth cycle in 2023–24. It has included preference signaling since the 2022–23 cycle, a feature in which applicants can send five “signals” to programs to express interest. We surveyed both program directors (PDs) and applicants following the 2023 match on their perceptions of PSCA versus Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Methods:. Surveys were deployed to applicants from three integrated plastic surgery programs during the 2022–23 cycle and all PDs. Respondents were asked basic demographic information, which application system they preferred: PSCA or ERAS, how well they were able to highlight/evaluate different areas of the application, and about their experiences specifically with preference signaling. Results:. Forty-two (48%) PDs and 93 (29%) applicants responded. Most PDs (72%) and applicants (59%) preferred PSCA, with only 18% and 27% preferring ERAS. The remainder had no preference. Ninety-three percent of applicants reported that the cost savings of the PSCA were important. Most applicants (78%) and PDs (80%) were in favor or strongly in favor of the preference signaling program. Conclusions:. Most applicants and PDs prefer PSCA over ERAS. These data, in conjunction with the cost savings, suggest that the PSCA may be a better alternative for the integrated plastic surgery match. Future analyses of these application systems will help provide the best application for prospective residents.

Summary:. Obese patients undergoing mastectomy have been documented to have improved outcomes after autologous reconstruction. The Goldilocks mastectomy (GM) has been proposed as a low-risk first-stage bridge to a second-stage definitive reconstruction. Goldilocks patients who desire autologous reconstruction with significant volume increase must consent to a second-stage flap, which typically requires a donor site with additional scarring and morbidity. We have found that many obese Goldilocks patients have significant excess upper abdominal subcutaneous tissue and are good candidates for a second-stage reverse abdominoplasty, which can provide them a completely autologous reconstruction. This approach adds minimal additional scarring, improves upper abdominal contour, and has a low rate of donor site complications. Here, we present 15 consecutive obese patients who underwent first-stage GM followed by second-stage reverse abdominoplasty, providing them with a completely autologous, low-risk reconstructive option.

Summary:. Smaller breasts require volume replacement to allow for breast conservation for large tumor to breast size ratios. The lateral intercostal artery perforator (LICAP) flap is one of the most commonly used approaches to replace volume as it readily fills lateral breast defects where most cancers typically arise. The LICAP flap was initially described with the bulk of its tissue volume oriented posteriorly, lateral to the breast footprint. Recently, the “reverse LICAP” flap was described, which uses the same perforators but recruits tissue instead from below the inframammary fold. Here, we combine these two approaches, preserving the same perforators, but harvesting tissue from both below the inframammary fold and lateral to the breast footprint, to create a single, larger, bidirectional LICAP flap. This modified flap replaces more volume than previously described for uni-directional approaches allowing us to potentially avoid mastectomy or more extensive flap reconstructions. Here, we describe 10 consecutive patients where the bidirectional LICAP flap was used to facilitate oncoplastic breast conservation.

Background:. Lipedema is a chronic inflammatory subcutaneous adipose-rich connective tissue disease affecting millions of women worldwide. Disproportionate fat accumulation on the extremities characterized by heaviness, tenderness, and swelling can affect function, mobility, and quality of life. Treatments include conservative measures and lipedema reduction surgery (LRS). Here, we report lipedema comorbidities and surgical techniques, outcomes measures, and complications after LRS. Methods:. This is a single outpatient clinic retrospective chart review case series of comorbidities and complications in 189 women with lipedema. Bioelectrical impedance analyses, knee kinematics, gait, physical examinations, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, and RAND Short Form-36 questionnaires collected before and after LRS were analyzed for 66 of the 189 women. Hemoglobin levels were measured by transdermal hemoglobin monitor (Masimo noninvasive hemoglobin monitoring; Irvine, Calif.). Results:. Common comorbidities in 189 women were hypermobile joints (50.5%), spider/varicose veins (48.6/24.5%), arthritis (29.1%), and hypothyroidism (25.9%). The most common complication in 5.5% of these women after LRS was lightheadedness with a 2-g reduction or more in hemoglobin. After conservative measures and LRS in 66 women, significant improvements (P ≤ 0.0009) were found for: (1) knee flexion (10 degrees); (2) gait; (3) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System T-score (16%); (4) mobility questions: gait velocity, rising from a chair, stair ascent; (5) RAND Short Form-36 scores: physical functioning, energy/fatigue, emotional well-being, social function, general health; (6) and Bioelectrical impedance analyses total and segmental body fat mass. Conclusion:. LRS provided significant improvements to women with lipedema using direct physical measurements and validated outcome measures, comparable to those seen after total knee replacement.

OBJECTIVES:. Treatments that prevent sepsis complications are needed. Circulating lipid and protein assemblies—lipoproteins play critical roles in clearing pathogens from the bloodstream. We investigated whether early inhibition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) may accelerate bloodstream clearance of immunogenic bacterial lipids and improve sepsis outcomes. DESIGN:. Genetic and clinical epidemiology, and experimental models. SETTING:. Human genetics cohorts, secondary analysis of a phase 3 randomized clinical trial enrolling patients with cardiovascular disease (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab [ODYSSEY OUTCOMES]; NCT01663402), and experimental murine models of sepsis. PATIENTS OR SUBJECTS:. Nine human cohorts with sepsis (total n = 12,514) were assessed for an association between sepsis mortality and PCSK9 loss-of-function (LOF) variants. Incident or fatal sepsis rates were evaluated among 18,884 participants in a post hoc analysis of ODYSSEY OUTCOMES. C57BI/6J mice were used in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia sepsis models, and in lipopolysaccharide-induced animal models. INTERVENTIONS:. Observational human cohort studies used genetic PCSK9 LOF variants as instrumental variables. ODYSSEY OUTCOMES participants were randomized to alirocumab or placebo. Mice were administered alirocumab, a PCSK9 inhibitor, at 5 mg/kg or 25 mg/kg subcutaneously, or isotype-matched control, 48 hours prior to the induction of bacterial sepsis. Mice did not receive other treatments for sepsis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:. Across human cohort studies, the effect estimate for 28-day mortality after sepsis diagnosis associated with genetic PCSK9 LOF was odds ratio = 0.86 (95% CI, 0.67–1.10; p = 0.24). A significant association was present in antibiotic-treated patients. In ODYSSEY OUTCOMES, sepsis frequency and mortality were infrequent and did not significantly differ by group, although both were numerically lower with alirocumab vs. placebo (relative risk of death from sepsis for alirocumab vs. placebo, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.32–1.20; p = 0.15). Mice treated with alirocumab had lower endotoxin levels and improved survival. CONCLUSIONS:. PCSK9 inhibition may improve clinical outcomes in sepsis in preventive, pretreatment settings.

Summary:. The split reduction allows for oncoplastic breast conserving surgery using a modified Wise-pattern closure in ptotic patients with cancers in close proximity to a skin margin. Although cancers involving skin within the Wise pattern are conveniently resected during closure, cancers in close proximity to skin outside the Wise pattern require a modified closure. This modified Wise-pattern closure preserves skin near the inferior pole of the breast which is normally resected and shifts this resection superiorly over the cancer. This also shifts the final medial or lateral inframammary scar onto the visible breast mound. Although this split-reduction Wise pattern has been well described for resecting advanced cancers in patients who undergo oncoplastic breast conserving surgery, this approach has not been described in patients who require mastectomy. Here, we report on 10 consecutive patients with ptosis and advanced breast cancers that require skin resection outside the standard Wise pattern, where we used the split-reduction incision to facilitate mastectomy and direct-to-implant reconstruction.

Summary:. Centers of excellence strive for high rates of breast conservation surgery. Given the increased patient satisfaction, evidence for improved survival, decreased rates of complications, reduced costs, and fewer surgical procedures compared to mastectomy and reconstruction, this makes sense. As such, surgeons have devised approaches to offer breast conservation to patients with more extensive disease that would have been classically recommended to undergo mastectomy. These ambitious attempts at breast conservation are supported by recent studies that have established their oncological safety. “Extreme oncoplasty” refers to Wise-pattern volume displacement surgery where the breast is immediately reconstructed after a multifocal or multicentric breast cancer is excised. The authors that described this concept also described a Wise-pattern “split reduction” to allow for excision of the skin directly over the cancer, insuring a clear anterior margin. Although extreme oncoplasty has been broadly discussed and published on by many groups, there are few reports that provide insight into the surgical details necessary to successfully perform this surgery. Here, we combine three different oncoplastic techniques: the Wise-pattern split reduction, immediate nipple reconstruction, and autologous volume replacement to demonstrate our approach to extreme oncoplastic breast conservation in a challenging patient.

Summary:. Oncoplastic breast conservation is classically divided into two approaches: volume displacement and volume replacement (VR). These approaches are important to use when more than 20% of the breast is removed to avoid deformity. Smaller, nonptotic breasts require VR strategies from flaps based off of local chest wall perforators. When larger volumes are required, a flap based off the thoracodorsal artery can be used. Although this flap can replace larger volumes, it usually requires a position change with increased operative time, patient morbidity, and longer recovery while also exhausting a major reconstructive modality. In an effort to avoid this increased operative complexity, we have found that combining a local chest wall perforator flap and bioabsorbable implant, which has been previously shown to be safe and effective in reconstructing partial mastectomy defects, allows for a simpler VR strategy in patients who might otherwise require a more extensive thoracodorsal artery-based flap surgery or a mastectomy. Here, we present 10 cases where we combined flaps based off the lateral, anterior or medial intercostal artery perforators or lateral thoracic artery perforator with a bioabsorbable implant to successfully perform oncoplastic breast conservation in patients who might otherwise be marginal candidates for VR using a local chest wall perforator flap.

Prepectoral implant-based breast reconstruction has become more common given the reduced dissection, decreased postoperative pain, elimination of animation deformity, and improved aesthetics compared with subpectoral reconstructions. Despite these benefits, surgeons must contend with increased rates of implant rippling and more tenuous implant positioning and coverage, especially in direct-to-implant reconstructions. Although the use of an acellular dermal matrix can assist with both implant rippling and support/positioning, it does not protect against implant exposure, and rippling can still occur, despite its use, with significant additional cost. This article looks into the use of a lateral adipodermal flap that assists with reducing the mismatch between the excess skin and implant surface area, implant positioning (by helping secure the lateral mammary fold), and providing implant coverage. Twenty-two patients underwent 38 nipple-sparing mastectomies and prepectoral direct-to-implant reconstructions using a lateral adipodermal flap without acellular dermal matrix. No patients had evidence of implant malposition or exposure with at least 6 months follow-up. The author concludes that the lateral adipodermal flap may be helpful in securing the lateral mammary fold, reducing excess skin and providing viable tissue coverage in patients undergoing prepectoral direct-to-implant reconstruction.

Background:. Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) and direct-to-implant reconstruction (DTIR) allow patients to complete their surgical care in one surgery. However, for women with significant ptosis, NSM is frequently not offered or requires multiple procedures. Methods:. We performed a retrospective review of a single-surgeon practice from 2016 to 2021 of a single-stage, modified, bidirectional adipodermal mastopexy to facilitate NSM and DTIR in patients with breast cancer and grades 2-3 ptosis. Demographics, intraoperative details, and postoperative outcomes were recorded. We also conducted a literature review and compared our technique to previously published approaches. Results:. Sixty breast cancer patients (105 breasts) with grades 2-3 ptosis underwent NSM and prepectoral DTIR using this technique. The average nipple-areola complex (NAC) lift was 9cm (range, 4 -15cm), and the average preoperative nipple to inframammary fold distance was 12cm (range, 8 -17cm). Overall complications included seroma [n = 8 (8%)], T-junction dehiscence [n = 6 (6%)], mastectomy flap necrosis [n = 6 (6%)], and superficial/partial NAC necrosis [n = 2 (2%)] with no incidence of complete NAC necrosis. Comprehensive literature review confirmed that the modified, bidirectional adipodermal mastopexy has a favorable complication profile when compared with other previously described approaches despite its application to more challenging patient populations undergoing DTIR. Conclusions:. The modified bidirectional adipodermal mastopexy safely facilitates NSM and DTIR in breast cancer patients with ptosis without requiring multiple procedures or leaving behind breast tissue and, in our hands, is the preferred approach in this difficult patient population.

IMPORTANCE:. Continuous data capture technology is becoming more common. Establishing analytic approaches for continuous data could aid in understanding the relationship between physiology and clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVES:. Our objective was to design a retrospective analysis for continuous physiologic measurements and their relationship with new brain injury over time after cardiac surgery. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:. Retrospective cohort study in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at the Hospital for Sick Children in patients after repair of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) or single ventricle (SV) lesions. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:. Continuously acquired physiologic measurements for up to 72 hours after cardiac surgery were analyzed for association with new brain injury by MRI. Distributions of heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (BP), and oxygen saturation (Spo2) for SV and TGA were analyzed graphically and with descriptive statistics over postoperative time for data-driven variable selection. Mixed-effects regression analyses characterized relationships between HR, BP, and Spo2 and new brain injury over time while accounting for variation between patients, measurement heterogeneity, and missingness. RESULTS:. Seventy-seven patients (60 TGA; 17 SV) were included. New brain injury was seen in 26 (34%). In SV patients, with and without new brain injury, respectively, in the first 24 hours after cardiac surgery, the median (interquartile range) HR was 172.0 beats/min (bpm) (169.7–176.0 bpm) versus 159.6 bpm (145.0–167.0 bpm); systolic BP 74.8 (67.9–78.5 mm Hg) versus 68.9 mm Hg (61.6–70.9 mm Hg). Higher postoperative HR (parameter estimate, 19.4; 95% CI, 7.8–31; p = 0.003 and BP, 8.6; 1.3–15.8; p = 0.024) were associated with new brain injury in SV patients. The strength of this relationship decreased with time. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:. Retrospective analysis of continuous physiologic measurements can provide insight into changes in postoperative physiology over time and their relationship with new brain injury. This technique could be applied to assess relationships between physiologic data and many patient interventions or outcomes.

Summary:. Mastectomy has evolved from approaches that involved extensive skin resection to nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM). However, patients with advanced breast cancers who require extensive skin resection usually also have their nipple areola complexes (NACs) removed, even if they are distant from the cancer. Implant reconstruction in these patients is challenging as they require tissue expansion and, typically, radiotherapy with additional surgeries to complete their reconstruction. The aesthetic results of this approach are inferior to NSM and direct-to-implant reconstruction. In patients who require significant skin resection but whose NACs are free of tumor, we have found that immediate skin replacement using a muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi flap allows for NSM and direct-to-implant reconstruction, obviating the need for tissue expansion, delayed implant placement, and NAC reconstruction. Here, we report on 12 patients in whom this approach is utilized.

Summary:. Implant-based breast reconstruction after bilateral mastectomy allows for excellent symmetry between the reconstructed breasts. After unilateral mastectomy, it is difficult to achieve symmetry between the reconstructed and native breast. In the past, anatomical implants provided a reconstruction that more closely resembled the shape of a native breast compared with the cohesive, round subpectoral implants commonly placed today. Here, we describe the use of a less form-stable round implant placed in the prepectoral plane after mastectomy which provides improved symmetry with the contralateral native breast.

OBJECTIVES:. Differences and biases between directly measured intra-arterial blood pressure and intermittingly measured noninvasive blood pressure using an oscillometric cuff method have been reported in adults and children. At the bedside, clinicians are required to assign a confidence to a specific blood pressure measurement before acting upon it, and this is challenging when there is discordance between measurement techniques. We hypothesized that big data could define and quantify the relationship between noninvasive blood pressure and intra-arterial blood pressure measurements and how they can be influenced by patient characteristics, thereby aiding bedside decision-making. DESIGN:. A retrospective analysis of cuff blood pressure readings with associated concurrent invasive arterial blood pressure measurements (452,195 noninvasive blood pressure measurements). SETTING:. Critical care unit at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. PATIENTS:. Six-thousand two-hundred ninety-seven patients less than or equal to 18 years old, hospitalized in a critical care unit with an indwelling arterial line. INTERVENTIONS:. None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:. Two-dimensional distributions of intra-arterial blood pressure and noninvasive blood pressure were generated and the conditional distributions of intra-arterial blood pressure examined as a function of the noninvasive systolic, diastolic, or mean blood pressure. Modification of these distributions according to age and gender were examined using a multilevel mixed-effects model. For any given combination of patient age and noninvasive blood pressure, the expected distribution of intra-arterial blood pressure readings exhibited marked variability at the population level and a bias that significantly depended on the noninvasive blood pressure value and age. We developed an online tool that allows exploration of the relationship between noninvasive blood pressure and intra-arterial blood pressure and the conditional probability distributions according to age. CONCLUSIONS:. A large physiologic dataset provides clinically applicable insights into the relationship between noninvasive blood pressure and intra-arterial blood pressure measurements that can help guide decision-making at the patient bedside.

Summary:. The muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi flap relies on perforators from the descending branch of the thoracodorsal artery. Previous descriptions placed a transverse skin island independent of perforator location, as any design was thought to capture enough perforators to ensure flap survival. We have found this approach prone to complications when attempting breast reconstruction in obese patients who require large flap volumes. Although the most proximal perforators have the most reliable blood flow, inclusion of these perforators reduces the arc of rotation, as the flap would be close to the pivot point at the most cranial point of muscle division, leaving significant volume in the axilla. Here we describe a modified skin incision that includes all of the proximal perforators but also allows us free design of the skin island to harvest those areas of the back with maximal subcutaneous tissue and with enough distance from the pivot point to optimize arc of rotation.

Summary. Patients with central breast cancers historically underwent mastectomy, as the aesthetic implications of removing the nipple–areola complex and central breast tissue left disfiguring defects after breast conservation. The introduction of oncoplastic techniques allowed for central lumpectomies in ptotic patients, as the excess skin and gland could be mobilized centrally to fill the defect and even immediately reconstruct a nipple and areola. These reconstructions used excess skin on the Wise pattern vertical limbs to create a nipple, or on a “neopedicle” where both the areola and nipple were reconstructed and then mobilized superiorly into position as would be performed for a conventional mastopexy or reduction. These techniques importantly allowed for the immediate reconstruction of a nipple and areola in patients who often imminently required radiotherapy and where subsequent surgery would be challenging. Here we describe another option for immediate nipple and areola reconstruction in these patients—nipple sharing and a skin graft—a well-established approach in post-mastectomy patients but never previously described for patients undergoing breast conservation.

Background:. Lipedema is a loose connective tissue disease affecting the limbs of women, that is difficult to lose by diet, exercise, or bariatric surgery. Publications from Europe demonstrate that lipedema reduction surgery improves quality of life for women with lipedema. There are no comparable studies in the United States (USA). The aim of this study was to collect data from women with lipedema in the USA who have undergone lipedema reduction surgery in the USA to determine if quality of life, pain, and other measures improved after lipedema reduction surgery. Methods:. Subjects were recruited and consented online for a 166-item questionnaire in REDCap. In total, 148 women answered the questionnaire after undergoing lipedema reduction surgery in the USA. Significance set at P < 0.05 was determined by ANOVA, Tukey’s multiple comparison test, or paired t-test. Results:. Quality of life improved in 84% and pain improved in 86% of patients. Ambulation improved most in lipedema Stage 3 (96%). Weight loss occurred in all stages by 3 months after surgery. Complications included growth of loose connective tissue within and outside treated areas, tissue fibrosis, anemia, blood clots, and lymphedema. Conclusions:. Women with lipedema noticed significant benefits after lipedema reduction surgery in the USA. Prospective studies are needed to assess benefits and complications after lipedema reduction surgery in the USA.

Summary:. Deformity after partial mastectomy for breast cancer is not uncommon. The immediate replacement of breast volume by a bioabsorbable implant has been shown to facilitate tissue ingrowth, maintain breast contour, reduce scarring and fibrosis, and preserve cosmesis. Soft tissue coverage is critical to minimize palpability and to prevent infection and extrusion of this device, especially after radiotherapy. This coverage is often not possible after significant oncological resection or in leaner patients. Here, we describe the use of a bioabsorbable implant-acellular dermal matrix construct in patients with insufficient soft tissue coverage after wide local excision.

Background:. Major infectious complications after implant-based postmastectomy reconstruction commonly occur late (>30 days postoperative). We set out to determine if early expander-to-implant exchange (3–6 weeks after tissue expander placement) reduced rates of subsequent major infectious complications. Methods:. We retrospectively examined patients after mastectomy and tissue expander reconstruction followed by early expander-to-implant exchange versus exchange at least 6 months after initial tissue expander placement (the control group). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether the timing of implant exchange independently predicted major infectious complications occurring more than 30 days after initial tissue expander placement after adjusting for differences in patient variables between groups. Results:. In total, 252 consecutive patients (430 breasts) between August 2014 and October 2019 were included. While the rates of major early infectious complications after mastectomy and tissue expander placement were similar between the groups, the control group had more subsequent major infectious complications during the reconstructive process [9.8% (n = 22) versus 1.9% (n = 4), P < 0.001]. Conclusions:. Early implant exchange results in a reduced subsequent rate of major infectious complications. This protocol reduces the window of time for late infectious complications to develop by proceeding with exchange within 6 weeks of tissue expander placement instead of the standard 6 months, which is common practice. We hypothesize that early exchange allows for washout of the mastectomy cavity, eliminating indolent bacterial contamination that could have subsequently manifested as a late infection. This protocol also obviates the need to operate on patients that undergo post-mastectomy radiotherapy, which also reduces reconstructive failure rates.

Background:. Postmastectomy reconstruction in obese patients has a significant risk of complications and poor outcomes after implant-based and autologous methods. Here we present 22 consecutive patients with Class III obesity [body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m2] who underwent reconstruction with a muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi (MSLD) flap. Methods:. A chart review of a single surgeon experience with 22 consecutive patients with Class III obesity who underwent postmastectomy reconstruction with an MSLD flap was performed. Demographics, operative details, outcomes, and complications were evaluated. Results:. Twenty-two patients underwent 29 mastectomy and MSLD reconstructions. There were no flap failures. The average BMI was 47.2 kg/m2, including 12 patients with BMI > 50 kg/m2. Seven breasts demonstrated partial nipple and or mastectomy flap necrosis. There was 1 (3.4%) donor site dehiscence that healed with outpatient wound care and 1 (3.4%) seroma that required multiple aspirations in the office. The average operative times were 178 and 420 minutes for unilateral and bilateral mastectomy and immediate reconstructions, respectively. The average hospital length of stay was 0.56 and 1.3 days for unilateral and bilateral surgeries, respectively. Conclusions:. These results demonstrate the utility of the MSLD flap in reconstructing the very obese. Operative times and lengths of stay compare favorably with conventional latissimus dorsi flap and abdominal-based microvascular free tissue transfer reconstructions. While our complication rates were higher than historically seen for patients with normal BMIs, there were no instances of flap failure, making this a viable reconstructive option for these very high-risk patients.

Background:. Mastectomy and implant-based reconstruction is typically performed in a hospital setting (HS) with overnight admission. The aim of this study was to evaluate postoperative complications and outcomes with same-day discharge from an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) compared with the same surgery performed in the HS. Methods:. Patients who underwent mastectomy and immediate prepectoral tissue expander reconstruction were included in this retrospective study. Surgery was performed in an ASC with same-day discharge or the HS with overnight observation or same-day discharge. Patient demographics, operative details, outcomes, complications, and patient satisfaction were compared. Results:. One hundred six women (183 breasts) underwent surgery in the HS, and 103 women (177 breasts) had their surgery in an ASC between August 2014 and September 2019. Demographics, comorbidities, and operative details were similar. Although there was no difference in the rates of most major complications, infectious complications requiring operative intervention were less frequent in the ASC [2.3% (n = 4) versus 11.5% (n = 21); P = 0.001]. Patient satisfaction, evaluated with a 5-point Likert scale, was higher in the ASC. Conclusions:. Mastectomy and prepectoral reconstruction in an ASC is a safe alternative to the standard approach of performing this procedure in the HS. Although the rates of most surgical complications are similar between the HS and ASC, we have found a significantly reduced rate of major infectious complications requiring surgical intervention in the ASC which reduces overall cost and patient morbidity. Finally, patient satisfaction was higher in the ASC compared with the HS.

Background:. The novel coronavirus and associated Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading throughout the world, with robust growth in the United States. Its drastic impact on the global population and international health care is swift, evolving, and unpredictable. The effects on orthopaedic surgery departments are predominantly indirect, with widespread cessation of all nonessential orthopaedic care. Although this is vital to the system-sustaining measures of isolation and resource reallocation, there is profound detriment to orthopaedic training programs. Methods:. In the face of new pressures on the finite timeline on an orthopaedic residency, the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics has devised a 5-pronged strategy based on the following: (1) patient and provider safety, (2) uninterrupted necessary care, (3) system sustainability, (4) adaptability, and (5) preservation of vital leadership structures. Results:. Our 5 tenants support a 2-team system, whereby the residents are divided into cycling “active-duty” and “working remotely” factions. In observation of the potential incubation period of viral symptoms, phase transitions occur every 2 weeks with strict adherence to team assignments. Intrateam redundancy can accommodate potential illness to ensure a stable unit of able residents. Active duty residents participate in in-person surgical encounters and virtual ambulatory encounters, whereas remotely working residents participate in daily video-conferenced faculty-lead, case-based didactics and pursue academic investigation, grant writing, and quality improvement projects. To sustain this, faculty and administrative 2-team systems are also in place to protect the leadership and decision-making components of the department. Conclusions:. The novel coronavirus has decimated the United States healthcare system, with an unpredictable duration, magnitude, and variability. As collateral damage, orthopaedic residencies are faced with new challenges to provide care and educate residents in the face of safety, resource redistribution, and erosion of classic learning opportunities. Our adaptive approach aims to be a generalizable tactic to optimize our current landscape.

Summary:. The Goldilocks mastectomy was originally described as a safe technique that allowed for a single-stage autologous reconstruction in the patient who either was a poor candidate or was not interested in traditional multistage postmastectomy reconstructive approaches. This technique involved a skin-sparing mastectomy through Wise incisions and utilized the residual cutaneous flaps to create a breast mound. The final result was often less than optimal with regards to volume as the surgeon was limited by the amount of residual skin and fat that remained after the mastectomy. The best results were obtained in women with ptosis and an elevated body mass index. Here, we improve on these results by combining the Goldilocks mastectomy and the lateral intercostal artery perforator (LICAP) flap to provide a more definitive, autologous, single-stage, reconstructive option after mastectomy. Fourteen consecutive women underwent simultaneous bilateral Goldilocks mastectomy with bilateral LICAP flap augmentation. All patients successfully completed their reconstruction and were healed by 10 weeks postoperatively. The combination of the Goldilocks mastectomy and LICAP flap provides reconstructive surgeons an opportunity to provide a greater proportion of women a more definitive, safe, single-stage autologous reconstructive option after mastectomy.

Summary:. Postmastectomy reconstruction in patients with significant macromastia and/or large chest wall dimensions can be challenging. Implants have a limited size range and may not be large enough to adequately reconstruct a wide, obese patient. Abdominally based flaps may be unsafe in these patients if they have significant obesity and or other comorbidities and may still be insufficient to adequately fill a very large breast footprint. These problems are compounded in the patient who is not a candidate for an abdominal flap and who undergoes unilateral mastectomy as the contralateral breast, even after aggressive reduction, may still require volume and dimensions that cannot be easily replicated with prosthetic methods alone. Therefore, it seems reasonable to supplement our implant-based reconstructions with additional autologous tissue to reconstruct the breast after mastectomy to obtain acceptable symmetry with the large, contralateral native breast. Here, we report a case of combining the largest available anatomic implant with an extended lateral intercostal artery perforator flap to reconstruct a large breast and obtain symmetry with the native breast.

Background:. Oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery describes a set of techniques that allow for generous oncological resection with immediate tumor-specific reconstruction. These techniques are classically divided into either volume displacement (local breast flaps and or reduction mammaplasty/mastopexy strategies) versus volume replacement strategies (transfer of autologous nonbreast tissue from a local or distant site and, less commonly, implant placement). There have been few descriptions of merging these 2 classical approaches to facilitate breast-conserving surgery. The purpose of this report was to evaluate the efficacy of combining the most common oncoplastic volume displacement strategy (Wise pattern mammaplasty) with simultaneous autologous volume replacement from the lateral intercostal artery perforator (LICAP) flap to reconstruct the extensive partial mastectomy defect in patients with ptosis. Methods:. A retrospective analysis of 25 consecutive patients with multifocal or multicentric breast cancers who underwent simultaneous volume replacement from the LICAP flap and volume displacement (Wise pattern mammaplasty) to achieve breast conservation was performed between January 2016 and January 2018. Clinical outcomes and postoperative complications were examined. Results:. Twenty-five consecutive patients with a mean age of 56 years (range, 37–74 years) and mean body mass index of 28 kg/m2 (range, 22–37 kg/m2) all successfully underwent breast conservation by simultaneously employing the LICAP flap and Wise pattern mammaplasty to reconstruct the partial mastectomy defect. The average resection specimen weight was 220 g (range, 130–310 g) and average size of the malignancy resected was 6.5 cm (range, 3.7–9.2 cm). Three patients (12%) required re-excision for close or positive margins but were ultimately cleared. There were no complications related to the donor site. There were 4 patients (16%) with delayed wound healing related to the Wise pattern closure but no instances of LICAP necrosis or failure. Conclusions:. The merger of Wise pattern volume displacement and autologous volume replacement techniques represents a novel strategy that is useful in the most challenging breast conservation patients with some degree of ptosis.

Summary:. Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) and reconstruction is challenging in ptotic patients with additional risk factors. Here, these problems are addressed with a staged strategy that extends NSM and reconstruction to patients with grade 3 ptosis and additional risk factors of diabetes, obesity, and macromastia. Three stages are used to perform a mastectomy, reposition the nipple, and reduce the skin envelope using the Wise pattern. This is followed by definitive implant placement in a final fourth stage. All patients successfully completed their reconstructions without a single instance of implant loss. Using a staged approach, NSM and reconstruction in high-risk ptotic patients is feasible. This is facilitated by using multiple surgical delays and insuring a well-healed skin envelope and optimal nipple position before any prosthetic device is placed.