Temperance With Tranexamic Acid: Increased Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Abdominoplasty.

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is used widely in surgery to mitigate blood loss by inhibiting the fibrinolytic degradation of clots. The occurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) with TXA has not been reported in the plastic surgery literature. In the realm of plastic surgery, abdominoplasty has the highest rate of VTE. The purpose of this study is to report 5 cases of VTE with TXA. A single surgeon reviewed the records of 5 patients who incurred VTE with TXA. TXA was added to the tumescent fluid, 20 mg/kg total. Four of the 5 patients underwent abdominoplasty combined with liposuction and breast surgery, and the fifth, fat transfer to the breast. The abdominoplasty patients had received chemoprophylaxis. Upon presentation of symptoms, the patients were sent to the hospital for anticoagulation and hematology consultation. The 5 patients survived their VTE events; 2 only required oral anticoagulation, 2 required IV heparin then oral, and 1 required tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) then oral. VTE with abdominoplasty occurred in 0 of 399 cases prior to the use of TXA and in 4 of 98 cases after the use of TXA in the tumescent. Although the occurrence of VTE with abdominoplasty increased with the use of TXA for the senior author, this retrospective case study does not prove a causal relationship between TXA and VTE.

To Post or Not to Post: Plastic Surgery Practice Marketing, Websites, and Social Media?

Social media is beginning to eclipse practice websites and other traditional electronic marketing utilized by plastic surgeons. First, highlights are presented from the relevant electronic marketing literature. Next, this article presents a new case study of how, why, when, and what social media is being used by ASPS members (n = 100). Results suggest a significant disconnect between plastic surgeons and the highest impact platforms reported in the literature such as Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and Facebook. Plastic surgeons currently prefer to focus electronic marketing efforts on practice websites over social media platforms. This study suggests that instead of relying on their practice websites to disseminate information, surgeons should be utilizing social media, posting promotions, before-and-after photos, and videos to develop their client base.

Lipoaugmentation following Implant Removal Preferred by Plastic Surgeons and the General Public.

BACKGROUND: Breast implant removal followed by fat transfer to the breast (lipoaugmentation) is a newer procedure and as such there is a need for empirical aesthetic comparisons between breast augmentation with implants versus fat transfer. Fat transfer to the breast is becoming an important option for women seeking reoperation of breast augmentation. METHODS: A survey was created using standardized before and after photographs of 12 patients who underwent implant removal and lipoaugmentation. Four photographs of breasts that had no surgery were used as controls, with identical before/after photographs. The survey was administered to 96 respondents from the general population and 10 plastic surgeons. Respondents were asked to rate the breasts using a 5-point Likert scale without procedural knowledge. The responses were evaluated using parametric statistical t tests to compare responses to implants versus fat transfer in terms of their respective attractiveness, naturalness, size, symmetry, and femininity. RESULTS: Fat transfer was significantly preferred to implants on all 5 measures; attractiveness, naturalness, size, symmetry, and femininity. Fat transfer was significantly preferred to implants by a margin of +0.36 average on 1-5 scale, which is approximately 1/3 of a Likert interval on all measures. Plastic surgeons took significantly longer than the general population to complete the survey and preferred fat transfer over implants to a higher degree. CONCLUSIONS: Lipoaugmentation can provide a favorable aesthetic outcome in women seeking implant removal. The general public can be conveniently surveyed via crowd sourcing, and their aesthetic judgments largely mirror those of trained and experienced plastic surgeons. Patients weighing breast implant removal or breast implant revision could consider this study in their decision making.

Implantable baclofen pump as an adjuvant in treatment of pressure sores.

Currently, the success of ulcer treatment is limited by the high recurrence and complication rates. Spasticity is an important contributing factor to ulcer recurrence, and intrathecal baclofen is an effective method to reduce spasticity. Spasticity creates friction, shear, and mobility impairment resulting in wound dehiscence, flap loss, infection, and hematoma. Spasticity can be managed pharmacologically and surgically; baclofen is the drug of choice. Baclofen inhibits spasticity by blocking excitatory neurotransmitters in the spinal dorsal horn. Intrathecal baclofen maximizes the dose delivered to spinal receptors and minimizes the side effects associated with oral baclofen. Case reports of intrathecal baclofen used in patients with pressure sores demonstrate the use of intrathecal baclofen to improve reconstructive outcomes in spastic patients.