Plastic and reconstructive surgery
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Oct 2012
Comparative StudyPredicting severe postoperative respiratory complications following abdominal wall reconstruction.
Patients undergoing abdominal wall reconstruction are at risk of developing major postoperative respiratory complications. The authors attempted to identify factors predictive of respiratory complications following abdominal wall reconstruction. ⋯ Respiratory complications following abdominal wall reconstruction can be serious and are associated with prolonged hospitalizations. Patients with an increase in their plateau pressure of greater than 6 cmH(2)O are at an increased risk of severe postoperative respiratory complications.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Sep 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialEpinephrine, norepinephrine, dobutamine, and dopexamine effects on free flap skin blood flow.
The optimal sympathomimetic drug to support blood pressure without adverse vasoconstriction of free flap circulation remains unknown. This study examined the effects of four agents (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dobutamine, and dopexamine) on free flaps following resection of head and neck cancer. ⋯ Both dobutamine and norepinephrine had beneficial effects on flap skin blood flow. The maximal improvement in flow occurred with norepinephrine, making it the optimal pressor to use in patients with hypotension after free flap surgery.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Sep 2012
Misrepresentation of scholarly works by integrated plastic surgery applicants.
Many authors report alarming rates of false or questionable claims of scholarly achievement among residency applicants. The authors sought to further elucidate the authenticity of such inappropriate declarations by simultaneously conducting an investigation of a selected pool of integrated plastic surgery applicants. The authors' hypothesis is that the percentage of citations claimed by many authors to be false was erroneously high because of failure of an adequate search or prolonged time from submission to publication for many journals. ⋯ The majority (93 to 98 percent) of integrated plastic surgery applicants are truthful regarding scholarly achievement. Applicants should be given the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to confirm their claims when we cannot.