Aloe vera has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Clinical and experimental evidence indicates usefulness for skin moisturization, promoting wound healing, thermal skin injury, frostbite, and ischemic skin insults. Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory, vasodilatory, antimicrobial, and proliferative actions, which have been investigated in various experimental models and in various in vitro studies. This extensive literature review of the properties and actions of Aloe vera finds substantial evidence for the reported and also likely clinical usefulness for Aloe vera in Plastic Surgery and in wound care and wound healing. Though further clinical investigation is warranted, Aloe vera use may likely be indicated in situations where its effects could positively influence outcomes, such as wound healing, flap vascularity, and inflammatory skin pathologies.
Summary: The single biggest advancement in the aesthetic outcome of breast reconstruction following mastectomy has been the contribution of nipple-sparing mastectomy. By preserving the nipple–areolar complex, patients do not experience the same sense of loss that is observed in the setting of skin-sparing mastectomy. Despite this significant contribution, the challenge remains as to how surgeons can extend this option to larger-breasted patients or patients with significant breast ptosis. Several strategies have been described, including reduction mammoplasty before mastectomy, bipedicled simultaneous mastopexy with mastectomy, and free nipple grafting. The authors have developed a novel approach to nipple-sparing mastectomy that preserves the nipple–areolar complex on a wide-based inframammary fold (IMF) flap and uses indocyanine green perfusion imaging to successfully and reliably perform nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction in larger-breasted ptotic patients. Six patients underwent bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomies and immediate breast reconstruction with a wide-based IMF flap. All patients underwent immediate reconstruction with prepectoral placement of tissue expanders to treat either breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and all patients successfully completed exchange of expander to implant. There were no complications with infection, seroma, mastectomy flap, or nipple necrosis. Aesthetic results were in line with other nipple-sparing techniques. The wide-based IMF flap with nipple preservation is a viable option for larger-breasted ptotic patients who might not otherwise be candidates for nipple-sparing mastectomy. The approach described is a combination of surgical technique and indocyanine green perfusion technology to deliver reproducible results, with an emphasis on surgical safety and avoidance of complications.
BackgroundEmergency manuals (EMs) are guides that provide a sequence of procedures and are used in response to critical events in the operating room. Literature has described the clinical advantage of such cognitive aids but implementation remains a problem because habits can be difficult to change. Studies have shown that successful use of EMs can be achieved by simulation training. This form of active learning engages the participants and provides the advantage of hands-on experience. Therefore, a simulation competition, namely Simulation Wars, was established in China to promote simulation training and increase training participation. This study aims to assess whether participation in such a simulation competition increases the participants’ implementation of EMs in the operating room in real situations of crisis.MethodsAnesthesia providers who participated in the 2017 Zhongshan Emergency Manuals simulation training competition and multi-institutional survey studies were eligible to participate in this study. A year after the inaugural competition, surveys were distributed to the participating providers to assess their use of EMs in the operating room post competition.ResultsOne hundred six anesthesia providers across two different hospitals qualified for the study. The response rates among anesthesia providers were similar for both surveys, with 45/51 (88.2%) pre-competition and 48/55 (87.2%) post-competition. Analysis shows that EM usage during critical events increased significantly following a simulation training competition (p<0.05).ConclusionThe study indicates that EM use in the operating room significantly increased after participating in the simulation training competition.
Summary: The keystone flap is well known to plastic surgeons and is frequently utilized for its ease of implementation, limited donor site morbidity, and favorable aesthetic outcomes. Although keystone flaps have been described in reconstruction of myelomeningocele defects, there have been no reports of their application to infants with large vascular malformations. This case illustrates the utilization of a keystone flap in reconstruction of a large posterior trunk defect that resulted from excision of a massive venous malformation in an 8-week-old infant with blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome. The patient’s consumptive coagulopathy resolved in the early postoperative period, and long-term follow-up demonstrated a favorable aesthetic outcome. This case reiterates the power and versatility of the keystone flap technique through its novel application to an infant with a life-threatening venous malformation on the posterior trunk.
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