Same-Day Mastectomy and Immediate Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction: A 12-Year National Database Analysis and Early Postoperative Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease of 2019 and rising health care costs have incentivized shorter hospital stays after mastectomies with immediate prosthetic reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to compare postoperative outcomes following same-day and non-same-day mastectomy with immediate prosthetic reconstruction. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2007 to 2019 was performed. Patients who underwent mastectomies and immediate reconstruction with tissue expanders or implants were selected and grouped based on length of stay. Univariate analysis and multivariate regression were performed to compare 30-day postoperative outcomes between length-of-stay groups. RESULTS: A total of 45,451 patients were included: 1508 had same-day surgery (SDS) and 43,942 were admitted for 1 or more night (non-SDS). There was no significant difference in overall 30-day postoperative complications between SDS and non-SDS following immediate prosthetic reconstruction. SDS was not a predictor of complications (OR, 1.1; P = 0.346), whereas tissue expander reconstruction decreased odds of morbidity compared with direct-to-implant reconstruction (OR, 0.77; P < 0.001). Among patients who had SDS, smoking was significantly associated with early complications on multivariate analysis (OR, 1.85; P = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an up-to-date assessment of the safety of mastectomies with immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction that captures recent advancements. Postoperative complication rates are similar between same-day discharge and at least 1-night stay, suggesting that same-day procedures may be safe for appropriately selected patients. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Standardized Perioperative Protocol and Routine Ketorolac Use for Head and Neck Free Flap Reconstruction.

No consensus exists on ideal perioperative management or anticoagulation regimen for free flap reconstruction of the head and neck. Perceived benefits from antiplatelet therapy need to be balanced against potential complications. Ketorolac, a platelet aggregation inhibitor and a parenteral analgesic, was introduced as part of a standardized perioperative protocol at our institution. In this study, we aimed to examine the impact of implementation of this protocol as well as complications associated with the routine use of perioperative ketorolac in a diverse group of patients who underwent head and neck free flap reconstruction. Methods: A single institution retrospective review was performed, including all patients who underwent head and neck free flap reconstruction between October 2016 and November 2019. Patients were divided into two cohorts: those who received ketorolac as part of a standardized protocol, and those who did not. Results: Twenty-four consecutive patients with 24 head and neck free flaps were evaluated. Eighteen patients were in the standard protocol, and six were not. There were no microvascular thromboses, flap failures, or hematomas in either group. Intensive care unit length of stay and opiate use were significantly reduced in the standardized protocol group. Conclusions: A standardized perioperative protocol for head and neck free flap reconstruction can reduce hospital and intensive care unit length of stay. No statistically significant differences in complication rates were identified when comparing ketorolac use and perioperative regimens among patients undergoing a diverse set of microsurgical head and neck free flap reconstructions.

Relative Value Units and Operative Time in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Work relative value units (wRVUs) are linked to clinical reimbursements and physician compensation in the USA and thus should consider the time of the physician providing care. The primary goal of this study is to assess whether wRVUs appropriately consider operative time in plastic and reconstructive surgery. METHODS: The 2015-2018 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program was queried for the 50 most performed plastic surgery cases with assigned wRVUs and a recorded operative time. Linear regressions were used to assess the relationships between operative time, assigned wRVUs, and wRVUs per hour. The procedures with the highest and lowest assigned wRVUs relative to their operative time were identified. RESULTS: A total of 31,156 cases were included in this analysis. Among the 50 most performed procedures, the median (range) for assigned wRVUs was 10.0 (1.0-42.6), operative time was 61 min (21-441), and wRVUs per hour was 8.7 (2.2-16.2). There was a strong positive linear correlation between assigned wRVUs and median operative time (R2=0.78), with each additional operative hour being associated with an increase of 5.3 wRVUs (p<0.001). The procedures earning the most wRVUs relative to their operative times were breast reconstruction with other techniques and tissue expander placement in breast reconstruction. However, excisional debridements of the muscle/fascia and subcutaneous tissue had the lowest earned wRVUs relative to their operative times. CONCLUSION: Although wRVUs and operative time are correlated in plastic surgery, numerous outliers from this trend exist. This suggests that wRVUs may not be optimally assigned across the range of plastic surgery procedures.

Management of Pediatric Nasoorbitoethmoid Complex Fractures at a Level 1 Trauma Center.

PURPOSE: A universally accepted treatment algorithm for rare pediatric nasoorbitoethmoid (NOE) fractures has yet to be established. In this study, the authors examine how severity of pediatric NOE fractures interplays with patient characteristics, management choices, and complications from injury and surgical intervention at our institution. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed for all cases of pediatric NOE fracture at a level 1 trauma center (University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey) between 2002 and 2014. RESULTS: Fifteen of 1922 patients met our inclusion criteria. Ten (66.7%) demonstrated Markowitz type I injuries, 2 (13.3%) had type II NOEs, and 3 (20%) sustained type III fractures. Five (33.3%) of our patients were only monitored. Six (40.0%) were treated with plate fixation. One patient (6.7%) required enucleation alone, while 1 (6.7%) warranted enucleation with medial canthoplasty and plate fixation. Transnasal canthopexy was performed for 1 patient (6.7%). Zero patients managed without surgery had complications at 1-year follow-up. Surgical intervention was associated with complications in 4 of 15 patients. Both nonoperative treatment and plate fixation were associated with a higher rate of complications from initial injury or subsequent therapy when than other mentioned forms of treatment (P = .004). CONCLUSION: Nonoperative management for nondisplaced fractures is associated with zero complications at 1-year follow-up in our data; plate fixation and watchful waiting yield significantly fewer postoperative complications and injury sequelae than surgical intervention for medial canthal tendon and globe injuries.

A Single Center Review of Pediatric Nasal Bone Fractures - An Analysis of Concomitant Injuries, Management, and Outcomes.

Background: Pediatric nasal bone fractures presenting as isolated fractures or with concomitant facial injuries are rare and not well documented. Analysis of treatment at an urban, level-one trauma center provides insight into their management. Methods: Data were collected for pediatric nasal bone fractures diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2014. Patients were divided into groups based on presence or absence of isolated nasal bone fractures. Groups were compared using Chi-squared analysis, and a Bonferroni correction was used for a more conservative alpha (a = .004). Results: Assault was the most common etiology presenting in 46 of 122 pediatric nasal bone fractures. There was no significant difference in surgical versus non-surgical management of isolated and non-isolated nasal bone fractures (P = 0.98). Treatment for both was predominantly watchful waiting in 91% to 95% of the cases followed by closed reduction in 3.2% to 3.3%. In the patients with isolated fractures, 11.5% sustained intracranial hemorrhage, compared to 35.6% of multifracture cases (P = .002); 15.0% of isolated fractures sustained a traumatic brain injury, compared to 55.9% of multifracture cases (P = .000003). No significant difference in fatality existed between groups (P = 0.53). Conclusions: Multi-facial fracture cases were more likely to present with traumatic brain injuries and be admitted to the intensive care unit than isolated nasal bone fractures. Rates of surgical and non-surgical management were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Watchful waiting of pediatric nasal bone fractures was the management approach selected 92% to 95% of the time regardless of the presence or absence of concomitant facial fractures.

A Single Center Review of Pediatric Nasal Bone Fractures - An Analysis of Concomitant Injuries, Management, and Outcomes.

Background: Pediatric nasal bone fractures presenting as isolated fractures or with concomitant facial injuries are rare and not well documented. Analysis of treatment at an urban, level-one trauma center provides insight into their management. Methods: Data were collected for pediatric nasal bone fractures diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2014. Patients were divided into groups based on presence or absence of isolated nasal bone fractures. Groups were compared using Chi-squared analysis, and a Bonferroni correction was used for a more conservative alpha (a = .004). Results: Assault was the most common etiology presenting in 46 of 122 pediatric nasal bone fractures. There was no significant difference in surgical versus non-surgical management of isolated and non-isolated nasal bone fractures (P = 0.98). Treatment for both was predominantly watchful waiting in 91% to 95% of the cases followed by closed reduction in 3.2% to 3.3%. In the patients with isolated fractures, 11.5% sustained intracranial hemorrhage, compared to 35.6% of multifracture cases (P = .002); 15.0% of isolated fractures sustained a traumatic brain injury, compared to 55.9% of multifracture cases (P = .000003). No significant difference in fatality existed between groups (P = 0.53). Conclusions: Multi-facial fracture cases were more likely to present with traumatic brain injuries and be admitted to the intensive care unit than isolated nasal bone fractures. Rates of surgical and non-surgical management were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Watchful waiting of pediatric nasal bone fractures was the management approach selected 92% to 95% of the time regardless of the presence or absence of concomitant facial fractures.