International journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery
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Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Oct 2009
Free-flap failures and complications in an American oral and maxillofacial surgery unit.
Free tissue transfer is a reliable surgical technique that enables primary reconstruction following ablative surgery. Widely practised in many European units, acceptance into mainstream oral and maxillofacial surgery in the USA has been slow. The authors reviewed free flap practice patterns and outcomes in a US oral and maxillofacial surgery training program with specific emphasis on failures and complications to illustrate obstacles encountered during the initial phase of practice implementation. ⋯ Prolonged hospital stay and ICU utilization was observed in patients with surgical complications. Complications in this study did not affect the overall success rates of free-flaps. Salvage rates from thrombotic events were unaffected despite rigid flap monitoring protocols.
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Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Oct 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialUse of nasal packs and intranasal septal splints following septoplasty.
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of a trans-septum suturing technique with conventional nasal packing and intranasal splints in the classic septoplasty operation. The study is a prospective, randomized clinical trial. 114 patients underwent septoplasty for septal deviation and ensuing nasal obstruction. These patients were divided into two groups: packing (using intranasal septal splints and antibiotic meshes at the end of the operation) and non-packing (using four separate trans-septum through and through horizontal mattress sutures without any mesh or intranasal splint insertion). ⋯ Patients were asked to record pain levels using a visual analogue scale. The authors found no significant statistical differences between the two groups in the parameters studied, but significantly higher pain levels were noted in the patients in the packing group. The final results confirmed that patients who underwent septoplasty, intranasal packing and septal splint insertion did not benefit more than those who had trans-septum through and through suturing.