Variations in the utilization of immediate post-mastectomy breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: For female breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing mastectomy, post-mastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR) confers significant psychosocial benefits and improved cosmetic outcomes. The objective of this study is to explore whether the utilization of PMBR varies by race, marital status, and geographical location of the patient. METHODS: Women ≥18 years old who underwent mastectomy for breast cancer diagnosed between 2000 and 2014 were eligible. Women with inflammatory BC, Stage IV BC diagnoses, and bilateral BC were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for patient and cancer characteristics, were used to assess the association between of race, marital status, and region on immediate PMBR utilization. RESULTS: 321,206 women were included and 24% underwent immediate PMBR (<4 months after mastectomy). Compared to white women, black and other non-white women (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.65, 0.70 and OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.50, 0.53, respectively) were significantly less likely to receive PMBR. Additionally, women who were single (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.70, 0.75) or no longer married (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.82, 0.86) were significantly less likely to undergo breast reconstruction, compared to married women. Regional differences were also seen, with women in the Northeast (OR 2.11, 95% CI 2.05,2.17), Midwest (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.48, 1.58) and South (OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.17, 1.23) all being more likely to undergo breast reconstruction compared to the West. DISCUSSION: Significant variations exist in the utilization of post-mastectomy breast reconstruction across race, marital status or geographical location of the patient. Further research is needed to elucidate these differences and identify areas for intervention to increase awareness, and access to reconstruction for all breast cancer patients.

Prepectoral Direct-to-Implant Breast Reconstruction: Early Outcomes and Analysis of Postoperative Pain.

BACKGROUND: Direct-to-implant (DTI) breast reconstruction provides high-quality aesthetic results in appropriate candidates. Most commonly, implants are placed in the subpectoral space which can lead to pain and breast animation. Surgical and technological advances have allowed for successful prepectoral implant placement which may eliminate these trade-offs. OBJECTIVES: Here we present early outcomes from 153 reconstructions in 94 patients who underwent prepectoral DTI. We sought to determine whether these patients have less postoperative pain and narcotic use than subpectoral implant or expander placement. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all prepectoral DTI reconstructions at our institution from 2015 to 2016. Data were collected on postoperative pain and narcotic use while in hospital. RESULTS: The average follow-up time was 8.5 months (range, 3-17 months) and the overall complication rate was 27% (n = 41) with the most common complications being skin necrosis (9%, n = 13) and infection (7%, n = 11). No statistically significant difference in complications was found in patients who underwent postmastectomy radiation therapy. Patients who underwent prepectoral DTI reconstruction did not have a statistically significant difference in postoperative pain and narcotic use while in-hospital compared with other techniques. CONCLUSION: Prepectoral DTI reconstruction provides good results with similar complication rates to subpectoral techniques. Prepectoral DTI eliminates the problem of breast animation. Although our series did not reach statistical significance in pain scores or requirement for postoperative narcotics, we believe that it is an important preliminary result and with larger numbers we anticipate a more definitive conclusion.

Body contouring after obesity surgery is associated with a weight loss benefit among patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients who undergo obesity surgery often require body contouring procedures to eliminate excess skin. Recent studies suggest that body contouring surgery may provide psychological benefits to patients after obesity surgery. However, it remains unclear how body contouring may affect weight loss maintenance after obesity surgery. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of patients who underwent obesity surgery with or without body contouring at a single institution from 2000 to 2005. Charts were reviewed for demographic, medical, and surgical information. The primary outcome of interest was the difference in weight loss maintenance among patients who underwent body contouring versus those who did not. RESULTS: A total of 318 patients were included for analysis in this study, of which 70 underwent obesity surgery with body contouring and 248 underwent obesity surgery without body contouring. The mean change in BMI among patients who did not undergo body contouring was 19.7 kg/m2. The mean change in BMI among patients who underwent body contouring was 22.1 kg/m2. Among patients who underwent body contouring surgery, 2.9% (2/70) of patients did not maintain at least a 20% decrease in body weight during the entire follow-up period (mean follow-up time 92.2 months). Among patients who did not undergo body contouring surgery, 10% (25/248) of patients did not maintain at least a 20% decrease in body weight during the entire follow-up period (mean follow-up time 39.0 months) (χ2 = 3.67, p = 0.055). CONCLUSIONS: Body contouring surgery may have a positive effect on weight loss maintenance after body contouring determined from the mean weight change and on percentage of patients who maintain at least a 20% decrease in body weight.

Negligent and Inflicted Burns in Children.

One in 4 American children have been abused and up to 5 children die per day from abuse. Children are vulnerable and error or lag in diagnosis may lead to further injury or death. In contrast, misdiagnosis of abuse is also unacceptable. Burns are a leading cause of abuse-related fatality and determination of cause can be difficult. It is critical that clinicians distinguish between burns of abuse (inflicted) and neglect and those received accidentally (noninflicted). Discordant narratives, use of alcohol and illicit substances, characteristics of the burn wound, and concomitant injury are all red flags for inflicted and negligent burns.

Distance to a Plastic Surgeon and Type of Insurance Plan Are Independently Predictive of Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: The psychosocial benefits of postmastectomy breast reconstruction are well established; however, health care barriers persist. The authors evaluated statewide patient population to further identify obstacles to reconstruction. METHODS: A linked data set combining the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry with administrative claims from Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance plans identified women diagnosed with breast cancer from 2003 to 2006. For inclusion in the study, women must have had a mastectomy within 6 months of diagnosis and had continuous insurance enrollment at least 2 years postoperatively (n = 5381). Multivariable logistic regression was used to model odds of reconstruction. RESULTS: Approximately 20 percent underwent reconstruction (n = 1130). Distance to a plastic surgeon-10 to 20 miles (OR, 0.78) and greater than 20 miles (OR, 0.73; p < 0.05)-was significantly predictive of no reconstruction, independent of other well-known disparities, including age, race, rural location, and lower household income. Women with government-funded health care, such as Medicare (OR, 0.58) and Medicaid (OR, 0.24; p < 0.001), were also significantly less likely to undergo reconstruction. Consistent with previous study, advanced cancer stage and receipt of radiation therapy decreased the likelihood of reconstruction. Furthermore, when the authors compared immediate to delayed reconstruction, rural location, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy were significantly predictive of delay. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first population-based study to demonstrate distance to care and insurance plan as significant predictors of receipt of reconstruction. Additional research is needed to understand health care barriers and to determine whether distance to a plastic surgeon can be ameliorated by outreach programs. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

Rigid sternal fixation in the management of pediatric postmedian sternotomy mediastinitis: A 20-year study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Pediatric patients are at a risk of mediastinitis, a life-threatening complication of median sternotomy, following cardiac surgery for congenital conditions. Our experience with rigid internal sternal fixation in pediatric patients with postmedian sternotomy mediastinitis is presented. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A retrospective chart review was performed of patients <18 years of age diagnosed with postoperative mediastinitis between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2009. Charts were reviewed for demographic data, cardiac history, causative microorganism, and infectious risk factors. The methods of surgical intervention including flap coverage and use and type of sternal plating (resorbable and/or titanium) were also recorded. The primary end point of interest was overall survival. RESULTS: Twenty-five pediatric patients were diagnosed with postoperative mediastinitis. Rigid fixation of the sternum following debridement was performed in 20 patients (age range: 1 month-18 years), all of whom successfully tolerated the procedure. Resorbable plates were used in 13 patients. Five patients did not undergo rigid fixation due to either serious ill-health or lack of adequate sternal bone stock. No patient experienced recurrent sternal wound infection. A total of 20 patients (80%) survived to discharge. Three patients succumbed to their heart condition prior to rigid fixation, one died following sternal closure from unrelated causes, and one patient was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Post-sternotomy mediastinitis in pediatric patients may be addressed using wide debridement, rigid sternal fixation, and flap coverage. In our series of 25 patients with pediatric mediastinitis, none died from mediastinitis. Placement of hardware did not adversely affect patient survival. This study demonstrates the feasibility of rigid sternal fixation.

The inner prepuce flap for penile scald burns.

Preputial skin has similar color, texture, and composition to the skin of the penile shaft. The inner preputial skin may be transferred as a flap based upon Dartos fascia to resurface full-thickness burns of the penile shaft, providing a gliding and stretchable surface cover unique to the penis. The advantages of using the inner prepuce skin to resurface full-thickness burns of the penile shaft will be elucidated and the technique will be described. A retrospective chart review was performed of three patients whose penile shaft was resurfaced with inner prepuce flaps after tangential excision of their full-thickness scald burns. Patient 1 was a 9-year-old boy who sustained an 8% TBSA scald burn resulting in a full-thickness burn to the dorsum of his penis. Patient 2 was a 3-year-old boy who sustained a 60% TBSA immersion scald burn as a victim of child abuse, resulting in a circumferential penile burn. Patient 3 was an 8- year-old boy who sustained a 3% TBSA grease burn to the dorsum of his penis. The inner surface of the prepuce of the patients was intact. They were treated with an inner preputial flap. Full-thickness scald burns to the penis are unusual and challenging for the patient, family, and burn surgeon. It is advantageous that inner preputial skin is commonly spared. This specialized thin skin is ideal for resurfacing the penile shaft and should be used when available.

CASE REPORT Case Report and Review of the Literature: Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap for Breast Reconstruction After Abdominal Recontouring.

OBJECTIVE: The report herein presents a case of a 49-year-old woman with left breast cancer who presented seeking immediate autologous reconstruction. Surgical history included an abdominal hysterectomy and an abdominal contouring procedure. This is a first description of a deep inferior epigastric perforator flap after abdominal wall manipulation of this magnitude. METHODS: Computed tomographic angiography identified patent medial row perforators. Doppler confirmed the location of the perforators. The flap was designed with the inferior incision at the previous lower abdominal scar. Laser-assisted indocyanine green imaging confirmed adequate flap perfusion on the basis of a single left deep inferior epigastric perforator. RESULTS: The flap was harvested on one perforator and anastomosed to the internal mammary system. The postoperative course was complicated by venous anastomosis kinking, requiring revision, but otherwise unremarkable. CONCLUSION: Computed tomographic angiography confirmed presence of perforators, communication with the deep inferior epigastric system, and location acceptable for flap design. Laser-assisted indocyanine green angiography facilitated perforator selection and provided intraoperative assessment of flap perfusion. Utilization of these modalities allowed safe completion of an operation considered contraindicated by conventional algorithms and highlights their role in complex perforator flap reconstruction.

Optimizing delivery of breast conservation therapy: a multidisciplinary approach to oncoplastic surgery.

BACKGROUND: For patients with small breasts relative to tumor size and for those with tumors in the central or inferior poles, lumpectomy can be aesthetically devastating. The field of oncoplastic surgery has developed to offset the aesthetic pitfalls of breast conservation. Questions remain regarding oncologic safety, potential complications, and patient selection. In this study, we report our institutional, multidisciplinary experience with oncoplastic surgery. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed including all patients at our institution undergoing oncoplastic breast surgery between 2003 and September 2009 at an academic medical center. Mean follow-up period was 38 months. All patients were referred by the institutional multidisciplinary breast team. RESULTS: Forty-five female patients underwent 46 oncoplastic breast reconstructions. Immediate reconstruction was performed in 21 patients, early (within 9 to 73 days of final tumor resection) in 18, and delayed (following completion of radiation) in 6. Three patients (14%) who underwent immediate oncoplastic reconstruction had positive margins on final pathology and proceeded to completion mastectomy. No local cancer recurrence was seen. Two patients developed distant metastatic disease. Twelve complications occurred in 11 patients; by group, 2 (10%) in immediate, 7 (39%) in delayed-immediate group, and 2 (33%) in delayed. Immediate oncoplastic reconstruction, performed as a single-stage procedure, inversely correlated with complication risk (P = 0.059). No other risk factor correlated with complications. CONCLUSIONS: Our review suggests this multidisciplinary approach to oncoplastic surgery is safe. Interestingly, women undergoing immediate oncoplastic reconstruction trended toward a lower rate of complications. The benefit of immediate reconstruction must be balanced by risk of positive tumor margin and subsequent necessity for completion mastectomy. This risk-benefit balance may be best delivered by a multidisciplinary team focused on all aspects of breast cancer care.

Surgical management of acute infectious purpura fulminans.

Purpura fulminans is a syndrome characterized by hemorrhagic infarction of the skin and underlying soft tissue as a result of disseminated intravascular coagulation and intravascular thrombosis. In this study, the authors report their experience with surgical intervention for acute infectious purpura fulminans (AIPF). A retrospective chart review was performed including all patients diagnosed with AIPF from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2008, and treated at an academic medical center. Primary endpoints of interest were overall survival rate and the need for and level of eventual amputation. Improvement in limb perfusion was included as a secondary endpoint. Nine patients were diagnosed with AIPF at the authors' institution during a 3-year period, and seven of these diagnoses were made within 12 months. Overall mortality was 44% (5/9). Amputation was required in 80% of survivors (4/5). All patients explored within 24 hours of diagnosis had evidence for compartment syndrome with visible bulging muscle on fascial release. AIPF is a devastating disease with significant mortality and morbidity primarily related to the loss of multiple limbs. This study suggests that early diagnosis and surgical intervention in the form of compartment release and sympathectomy should be performed concurrently with the initial treatment of sepsis to minimize amputations in surviving patients.

Laparoscopic en bloc resection of locally advanced colon cancer with involvement of the liver, small bowel, omentum, and abdominal wall.

BACKGROUND: Locally advanced colon cancer with the involvement of adjacent organs is treated radically with en bloc resection with negative margins. Laparoscopy is seldom recommended for such patients. METHODS: Operative laparoscopic technique is presented for radical en bloc resection of locally advanced right colon cancer. RESULTS: The patient is a 56-year-old morbidly obese (body mass index 47) male, who was scheduled to undergo a routine laparoscopic right hemicolectomy and at exploration was found to have a large mass involving segments V and VI of the liver, small bowel, omentum, and abdominal wall. A laparoscopic-assisted en bloc resection was performed. The patient went home in 7 days. The tumor was staged as T4N0M0, American Joint Commission on Cancer stage IIb with 21 negative nodes. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic resection for selected patients with locally advanced colonic neoplasms should be considered an option in tertiary referral centers.