The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery
-
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Sep 2012
Towards a classification system for complex craniofacial fractures.
The complexity of facial fractures has changed considerably in recent years together with more commonly observed high velocity trauma. Traditional classification systems describe fractures in an isolated manner but fail to recognise those that affect more than one region. We applied four conceptual scoring systems for craniofacial trauma to a cohort of patients in east London. We exposed the limitations of the systems and developed a new scoring system that encompasses elements of all of the models and is capable of overcoming previous limitations.
-
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Sep 2012
Cardiac output monitoring to guide fluid replacement in head and neck microvascular free flap surgery-what is current practice in the UK?
Appropriate fluid balance is an important factor in the survival of free flaps, and recently there has been a shift towards more conservative fluid regimens. Several surgical specialties have made extensive use of the relatively non-invasive method of measuring cardiac output (CO) to optimise fluid balance during and after surgery, which has resulted in a shorter hospital stay, but little has been published in head and neck surgery. To ascertain its use in the head and neck we sent a postal questionnaire to the anaesthetic departments of 40 major head and neck units identified from the 2010 database of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS). ⋯ As with other specialties, it is likely that CO monitoring will become widely used in head and neck reconstructive surgery. Not only does it enhance fluid optimisation, but it may also reduce hospital stay and morbidity. Appropriate clinical studies are urgently needed to evaluate its use in our specialty.