Transient Postinflammatory Hyperpigmentation Following Eyelid Surgery.

PURPOSE: Our aim was to describe a rare mild complication of eyelid surgery presenting as transient hyperpigmentation along the suture lines. METHODS: A retrospective case series of 6 patients experiencing transient hyperpigmentation following eyelid surgery. Each patient underwent either blepharoplasty alone or blepharoplasty with ptosis repair utilizing Müller muscle conjunctival resection. Data including surgery type, hyperpigmentation laterality and location, time to diagnosis, follow-up time, and outcome were assessed. RESULTS: All 6 patients with hyperpigmentation were females. All patients underwent blepharoplasty, including 1 upper eyelid blepharoplasty and 4 with both upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty. One patient underwent bilateral upper blepharoplasty with concurrent posterior approach ptosis surgery repair of the left upper eyelid. Hyperpigmentation was bilateral in all 5 blepharoplasty cases and unilateral in the ptosis repair case. Hyperpigmentation included the medial portion of the operated upper eyelid in all cases. Time to diagnosis ranged from 1 to 4 weeks postoperatively, and follow-up time ranged from 3 to 5 months. Management was conservative in all cases. Five patients experienced complete resolution, and 1 patient experienced near-complete resolution on a 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Transient hyperpigmentation is a rare posteyelid surgery complication, generally with an excellent outcome not requiring additional intervention.

Global responsibility in mass casualty events: the Israeli experience in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To describe humanitarian aid following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. SETTING: A field hospital deployed in a small Japanese coastal village devastated by a major tsunami. PATIENTS: Thousands of Japanese refugees with minimal access to medical care. RESULTS: After well-coordinated diplomatic efforts, our medical delegation was the first foreign team to deploy in Japan. Our facility served as a regional referral center for specialized medical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Following major disasters, even highly modernized countries will face an urgent surge in the need of medical resources. These situations emphasize the need for global responsibility to provide assistance.

Early disaster response in Haiti: the Israeli field hospital experience.

The earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010 caused an estimated 230,000 deaths and injured approximately 250,000 people. The Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps Field Hospital was fully operational on site only 89 hours after the earthquake struck and was capable of providing sophisticated medical care. During the 10 days the hospital was operational, its staff treated 1111 patients, hospitalized 737 patients, and performed 244 operations on 203 patients. The field hospital also served as a referral center for medical teams from other countries that were deployed in the surrounding areas. The key factor that enabled rapid response during the early phase of the disaster from a distance of 6000 miles was a well-prepared and trained medical unit maintained on continuous alert. The prompt deployment of advanced-capability field hospitals is essential in disaster relief, especially in countries with minimal medical infrastructure. The changing medical requirements of people in an earthquake zone dictate that field hospitals be designed to operate with maximum flexibility and versatility regarding triage, staff positioning, treatment priorities, and hospitalization policies. Early coordination with local administrative bodies is indispensable.