ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Social media have revolutionized the way we access information. Twitter is the most popular microblogging website and has become a tool for plastic surgery journals to connect with the greater academic community and public. The purpose of this study was to objectively assess the use of Twitter by plastic surgery journals. METHODS: Twelve plastic surgery journals were searched on Twitter. The following data were collected: age of Twitter profile, number of followers and tweets posted, and whether the journal's website had a link to Twitter or another social media website. All tweets were reviewed from May to July of 2017 inclusive, and the level of evidence of each original article posted in the tweets was recorded. Impact factor and Klout score (a social media influence score) were collected for all journals. RESULTS: Six of 12 plastic journals had a Twitter profile. The most social media-influencing journal in plastic surgery was Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. This was followed by the Aesthetic Surgery Journal and the Journal of Hand Surgery (American and European Volumes). The presence of a Twitter profile was not associated with a higher impact factor for the journal. The Klout score was correlated with impact factor. Since joining Twitter, five of the six journals with Twitter profiles experienced increases in their impact factor. CONCLUSION: Twitter can be a quick and easy-to-use tool to increase exposure to evidence-based information from academic journals in plastic surgery.
Subject(s)
Information Dissemination/methods , Social Media/statistics & numerical data , Surgery, Plastic/statistics & numerical data , Journal Impact Factor , Periodicals as Topic , Social Media/trends , Surgery, Plastic/trendsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, inflammatory, noninfectious skin disorder that is idiopathic in nature; however, it may occur as a rare complication of breast surgery. The mainstay of treatment is medical immunosuppression. CASE REPORT: This report describes the case of a 46-year-old woman who developed PG of both breasts following bilateral reduction mammoplasty and mastopexy. She was managed with a combination of medical immunotherapy and full-thickness skin grafts, which resulted in successful wound healing. CONCLUSIONS: This patient's positive outcome illustrates the use of skin grafts in combination with medical immunotherapy in the setting of PG. This approach, which differs from the common method of treating solely with medical immunotherapy, may provide a quicker and more satisfying result for the patient.
Subject(s)
Breast Diseases/microbiology , Cyclosporine/therapeutic use , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Mammaplasty , Prednisone/therapeutic use , Pyoderma Gangrenosum/diagnosis , Surgical Wound Infection/microbiology , Wound Healing/physiology , Breast Diseases/therapy , Female , Free Tissue Flaps , Humans , Mammaplasty/adverse effects , Middle Aged , Pyoderma Gangrenosum/therapy , Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods , Skin Transplantation , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Venous thrombotic events (VTE) are a well-recognized complication in pediatric cancer patients. Population-based data on the incidence and characteristics of VTE in all pediatric cancer patients are limited. This information is crucial to identify patients at high risk and design targeted interventions accordingly. The present study was designed to determine the incidence and characteristics of VTE in the pediatric oncology population. PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a retrospective, population-based, cohort study of patients treated in the Maritimes, Canada between 1995 and 2015. RESULTS: There were 1210 pediatric hematology/oncology patients from the Maritimes, Canada, treated at the IWK Health Centre between 1995 and 2015. Fifty-eight (4.8%) experienced at least 1 VTE and the majority of patients experienced it within 6 months of cancer diagnosis. The median age of patients who experienced VTE was 10.7 years (SD = 6.0). The most common presenting symptom of thrombosis was central venous line dysfunction, and the most common location for thrombosis was within the upper venous system. We observed that 65.6% of the patients with VTE required >1 central venous catheters (CVC). The presence of a VTE increased the odds of requiring >1 CVC to 3.6 (95% confidence interval: 1.76-7.3). CONCLUSION: Thus, in this large, population-based study, we present the incidence and characteristics of VTE in the pediatric oncology population and demonstrate the clinical impact of VTE in terms of loss of CVC. Larger, prospective studies are required to confirm these findings and to develop a risk model for managing and preventing VTE in this patient population.
