ABSTRACT
Pseudoaneurysm of vessels (most common in arteries), in general, happens when a blood vessel wall is damaged leading to leakage of blood and its collection in the surrounding tissue, essentially resulting in a false aneurysm. These false collections can be problematic and can develop in any location. However, their most common clinical presentation is in the femoral arteries. These manifest especially following an endovascular intervention. Here, we discuss a case of a 73-year-old male whose in-hospital course was complicated by the development and subsequent infection of a pseudoaneurysm after he was admitted for sepsis from a UTI. We further highlight the pathophysiology related to the formation of a pseudoaneurysm, and the mechanism of action behind various treatment modalities used. The clinical course and possible treatment options may vary. However, a robust combination of early surgical management alongside medical management seems to provide the best outcome.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Social media platforms are constantly evolving and expanding to new populations, exposing their users to various topics and serving as an informal educational resource. Medical ideas and topics are freely discussed online, making understanding of what is present on these platforms of particular importance to the practicing medical professional. In the field of otolaryngology, the public social media portrayal of sinus surgery has not been previously reported. METHODS: Social media posts using keywords related to sinus surgery on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok were qualitatively analyzed and categorized based on media type, author, subject, timing, depiction, and popularity. RESULTS: The total number of posts included in final analysis was 1798, with a majority stemming from Instagram (68.5%), then Facebook (20.2%) and finally TikTok (11.3%). The most common type of media analyzed was images (69.0%) and patients were more often authors of posts (45.1%) as compared to physicians (34.8%). The subjects of the posts were nearly equally reassurance regarding surgery (41.3%) and educational or informational posts (38.8%) and were most commonly timed in the postoperative period (41.3%). Sinus surgery was depicted in a positive fashion most frequently (56.6%), notably compared against the negative portrayal at 3.2%. Negative posts most commonly cited postoperative pain or bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Most social media posts analyzed in this multi-platform study depicted sinus surgery in a positive fashion. Patients tended to post in the postoperative or perioperative period, whereas physicians tender to post intraoperative educational posts. Negative posts were most commonly centered around postoperative pain. Cautious interpretation of these results could be used for improving patient care and outreach in the digital age.
