Annals of plastic surgery
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Annals of plastic surgery · May 2005
Psychosocial outcome of patients after ear reconstruction: a retrospective study of 62 patients.
This was a retrospective study examining the psychosocial morbidity of patients before and after ear reconstruction. Semistructured questionnaires were sent to 90 patents with significant congenital or acquired auricular deformity 2.2 years (range 3 months to 5 years) following autogenous or osteointegrated reconstruction. Sixty-two patients (69%) responded. ⋯ Sixty percent of patients reported their result as excellent. The patients scored their result better than the surgeon. We conclude that auricular reconstruction has significant psychosocial benefit in the majority of children and adults despite donor-site morbidity and a range of technical result.
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Annals of plastic surgery · May 2005
Use of the infusion pain pump following transverse rectus abdominis muscle flap breast reconstruction.
The infusion pain pump has been a valuable addition to postoperative pain management in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential ischemic or infectious complications of placing a catheter beneath the operative site for infusion of local anesthesia (+/- epinephrine). The purpose of this review is to document our experience with this form of postoperative pain control in plastic surgical procedures. ⋯ The postoperative pain pump has been useful in reducing the intravenous narcotic requirements and length of stay in patients following TRAM flap breast reconstruction. There were no flap, donor-site, or implant complications related to the presence of the catheter. Cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction data would be interesting.
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Attempts at reducing exposure to allogeneic transfusions, using blood conservation techniques such as controlled hypotension and normovolemic hemodilution, have met with mixed results and are not always practical in small infants. Recombinant human erythropoietin (RHE), a hormone that stimulates RBC production, increases the hematocrit when administered to infants. A retrospective chart review of all patients undergoing fronto-orbital advancement for craniosynostosis by the same plastic surgeon between January 2002 and December 2002 was conducted. ⋯ Transfusion requirements were lower in the RHE group (5/10) versus the control group (9/9). Total volume of blood products transfused was statistically lower in the RHE group (154 mL RHE group versus 421 mL control) (P < 0.03). RHE combined with blood-conservation techniques was associated with a decreased need for blood transfusion, thus exposing the patient to fewer risks associated with allogeneic transfusion.
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Annals of plastic surgery · May 2005
Treatment of hypertrophic scars using a long-pulsed dye laser with cryogen-spray cooling.
Hypertrophic scars are common and cause functional and psychologic morbidity. The conventional pulsed dye laser (585 nm) has been shown previously to be effective in the treatment of a variety of traumatic and surgical scars, with improvement in scar texture, color, and pliability, with minimal side effects. This prospective study was performed to determine the effectiveness of the long-pulsed dye laser (595 nm) with cryogen-spray cooling device in the treatment of hypertrophic scars. ⋯ VGH scores improved in all treated sites, and there was a significant difference between the baseline and posttreatment scores, corresponding to an improvement of 51.4 +/- 14.7% (P < 0.01). Compared with the baseline, the mean percentage of scar flattening and erythema elimination was 40.7 +/- 20.7 and 65.3 +/- 25.5%, respectively (P < 0.01). The long-pulsed dye laser (595-nm) equipped with cryogen spray cooling device is an effective treatment of hypertrophic scars and can improve scar pliability and texture and decrease scar erythema and associated symptoms.
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Annals of plastic surgery · Apr 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparative efficacy of ropivacaine and bupivacaine infiltrative analgesia in otoplasty.
A prospective double-blind study was conducted to compare the anesthetic efficacy of ropivacaine and bupivacaine in a bilaterally symmetrical otoplasty model. Because ropivacaine has a significantly lower toxic potential than bupivacaine, it may be established as the anesthetic agent of choice for low-dose infiltration anesthesia in routine aesthetic facial operations. ⋯ Intraoperative success rates were similar, and overall analgesia achieved at 2 hours, 6 hours, and 10 hours postoperatively was not found to be statistically different between ropivacaine and bupivacaine. The authors conclude that ropivacaine can be used as an effective alternative to bupivacaine in otoplasty.