Prospective study of wound infections in Mohs micrographic surgery using clean surgical technique in the absence of prophylactic antibiotics.

BACKGROUND: Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) has a low rate of surgical site infection (SSI) without the use of prophylactic antibiotics. In the studies to date, there has been variation in the steps taken by each surgeon to prevent SSIs but in all cases sterile technique was used during wound reconstruction. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the rate of SSIs among patients undergoing MMS with the use of clean surgical technique for all steps of MMS including wound reconstruction in the absence of prophylactic antibiotics. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 1000 patients undergoing MMS using clean surgical technique for SSIs. Clean surgical technique includes the use of clean surgical gloves and towels and a single pack of sterile instruments for all steps including wound reconstruction. RESULTS: There were 11 SSIs among 1000 patients with 1204 tumors, with an overall rate of infection of 0.91% (95% confidence interval 0.38%-1.45%). Three of the 11 infections were complications of hematomas. Four of the 11 infections occurred in flap closures, which had the highest rate of SSIs of 2.67% (4/150). LIMITATIONS: The study was a prospective, single-institution uncontrolled study. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the rate of SSIs with the use of clean surgical technique, in the absence of antibiotic prophylaxis, for all steps of MMS including wound reconstruction. Our rate of SSIs of 0.91% is exceedingly low, underscoring the overall safety of MMS and its performance in the outpatient setting without the use of antibiotic prophylaxis or sterile technique.

The immunosuppressive surface ligand CD200 augments the metastatic capacity of squamous cell carcinoma.

CD200 (OX-2) is a cell surface glycoprotein that imparts immune privileges by suppressing alloimmune and autoimmune responses through its receptor, CD200R, expressed primarily on myeloid cells. The ability of CD200 to suppress myeloid cell activation is critical for maintaining normal tissue homeostasis but may also enhance the survival of migratory neoplastic cells. We show that CD200 expression is largely absent in well-differentiated primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin, but is highly induced in SCC metastases to the lymph node and other solid tissues. CD200 does not influence the proliferative or invasive capacity of SCC cells or their ability to reconstitute primary skin tumors. However, loss of CD200 impairs the ability of SCC cells to metastasize and seed secondary tumors, indicating that the survival of CD200(+) SCC cells may depend on their ability to interact with CD200R(+) immune cells. The predominant population of CD200R(+) stromal cells was CD11b(+)Gr-1(+) myeloid-derived suppressor cells, which release elevated levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor when in the presence of SCC cells in a CD200-dependent manner. Collectively, our findings implicate CD200 as a hallmark of SCC metastasis and suggest that the ability of CD200(+) SCC keratinocytes to directly engage and modulate CD200R(+) myeloid-derived suppressor cells is essential to metastatic survival.

Surgical repair of the auricle.

Secondary intention, primary closure, and full thickness skin grafts can handle the majority of ear closures. Transposition flaps work nicely at the root of the helix, the preauricular area, the intertragal notch and the postauricular area. Helical rim advancements and their variations are the workhorse for repairing and restoring the natural arch of the helix. Retroauricular 2-stage pedicle flaps with or without a cartilage graft will provide a nice cosmetic result for larger defects involving the helical rim. Remember, most importantly, know your wound, know your patient, and the simplest closure is often the best one.