Google Ranking of Plastic Surgeons Values Social Media Presence Over Academic Pedigree and Experience.

BACKGROUND: Patients increasingly rely on online resources to make healthcare decisions. Google dominates the search engine market; first-page results receive most of the web traffic and therefore serve as an important indicator of consumer reach. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to analyze the respective importance of physician academic pedigree, experience, and social media presence on plastic surgeon Google first-page search result placement. METHODS: A Google.com search was conducted in the top 25 United States metropolitan areas to identify the top 20 websites of board-certified plastic surgeons. Social media presence was quantified by tracking the number of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for every surgeon as well as medical school and year of graduation. The primary outcome was website ranking in the first page of Google search results. To identify the independent predictors of presence on the front page, we performed a multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Total number of social medial followers was associated with Google front-page placement (P < 0.001), whereas medical school ranking and years in practice were not (P = 0.17 and 0.39, respectively). A total 19.6% of plastic surgeon practices in our study cohort still had no social media accounts whatsoever. CONCLUSIONS: For the past few decades, plastic surgery practices relied on referrals, word of mouth, and the surgeon's reputation and academic pedigree to attract new patients. It is now clear that this practice-building model is being rapidly supplanted by a new paradigm based on social media presence to reach potential patients.

Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing.

BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest patients are seeking aesthetic surgery to improve their appearance on Instagram and other social media. Despite the rising influence of Instagram in plastic surgery, few academic publications address Instagram, let alone evaluate its utilization in plastic surgery. OBJECTIVES: We set out to answer the following three questions: 1) what plastic surgery-related content is being posted to Instagram; 2) who is posting this content; and 3) what specific hashtags are they using? METHODS: Our study queried 21 Instagram plastic surgery-related hashtags. Content analysis was used to qualitatively evaluate each of the nine "top" posts associated with each hashtag (189 posts). Duplicate posts and those not relevant to plastic surgery were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 1,789,270 posts utilized the 21 hashtags sampled in this study. Of the top 189 posts for these 21 queried hashtags, 163 posts met inclusion criteria. Plastic surgeons eligible for membership in American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) accounted for only 17.8% of top posts, whereas noneligible physicians accounted for 26.4%. All nonplastic surgery trained physicians marketed themselves as "cosmetic surgeons." Nine top posts (5.5%) were by nonphysicians, including dentists, spas with no associated physician, and a hair salon. The majority of these posts were self-promotional (67.1%) as opposed to educational (32.9%). Board-certified plastic surgeons were significantly more likely to post educational content to Instagram as compared to nonplastic surgeons (62.1% vs 38.1%, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: ASAPS eligible board-certified plastic surgeons are underrepresented amongst physicians posting top plastic surgery-related content to Instagram.

The Ethics of Sharing Plastic Surgery Videos on Social Media: Systematic Literature Review, Ethical Analysis, and Proposed Guidelines.

Recent videos shared by plastic surgeons on social media applications such as Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube, among others, have blurred the line between entertainment and patient care. This has left many in the plastic surgery community calling for the development of more structured oversight and guidance regarding video sharing on social media. To date, no official guidelines exist for plastic surgeons to follow. Little is known about the ethical implications of social media use by plastic surgeons, especially with regard to video sharing. A systematic review of the literature on social media use in plastic surgery was performed on October 31, 2016, with an emphasis on ethics and professionalism. An ethical analysis was conducted using the four principles of medical ethics. The initial search yielded 87 articles. Thirty-four articles were included for analyses that were found to be relevant to the use of social media in plastic surgery. No peer-reviewed articles were found that mentioned Snapchat or addressed the ethical implications of sharing live videos of plastic surgery on social media. Using the four principles of medical ethics, it was determined that significant ethical concerns exist with broadcasting these videos. This analysis fills an important gap in the plastic surgery literature by addressing the ethical issues concerning live surgery broadcasts on social media. Plastic surgeons may use the guidelines proposed here to avoid potential pitfalls.

Risk factors for compartment syndrome in traumatic brachial artery injuries: an institutional experience in 139 patients.

BACKGROUND: The brachial artery is the most common vascular injury encountered in upper extremity trauma. If not treated promptly, it can result in compartment syndrome (CS) and long-term disability. Here, we report an institutional experience of traumatic brachial artery injuries and establish risk factors for the development of upper extremity CS in this setting. METHODS: A retrospective review of 139 patients with traumatic brachial artery injury from 1985 to 2001 at a single institution. Patients were divided into two cohorts, those with evidence of CS and those without CS (NCS), for comparison. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-nine patients presented with traumatic brachial artery injuries (mean age, 28.4 years). Twenty-nine patients (20.9%) were diagnosed with upper extremity CS, and 28 of these patients underwent fasciotomy on recognition of their CS. Seven patients (6.4%) in the NCS cohort underwent fasciotomy as a result of absent distal pulses on initial examination. Mean follow-up was 51.6 days. Two patients required revision of their arterial repair, and one patient underwent amputation. The risk of CS was increased in the presence of combined arterial injuries (p = 0.03), combined nerve injuries (p = 0.04), motor deficits (p < 0.0001), fractures, and increased intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression performed on these variables revealed that elevated intraoperative blood loss, combined arterial injury, and open fracture were independent risk factors for the development of CS (OR 1.12, 5.79, and 2.68, respectively). CONCLUSION: Prompt evaluation and management of traumatic brachial artery injuries is important to prevent CS, which can lead to functional deficits. In the setting of combined arterial injury, open fracture, and significant intraoperative blood loss, prophylactic fasciotomy should be considered.

Staphylococcal biofilms impair wound healing by delaying reepithelialization in a murine cutaneous wound model.

Bacterial biofilms have gained increasing visibility in recent years as a ubiquitous form of survival for microorganisms in myriad environments. A number of in vivo models exist for the study of biofilms in the setting of medically relevant implanted foreign bodies. Growing evidence has demonstrated the presence of bacterial biofilms in the setting of a number of chronic wound states including pressure sores, diabetic foot ulcers, and venous stasis ulcers. Here we present a novel murine cutaneous wound system that directly demonstrates delayed reepithelialization caused by the presence of a bacterial biofilm. We established biofilms using either Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis in splinted cutaneous punch wounds created on the backs of normal C57Bl6/J mice. Wound reepithelialization was significantly delayed by bacterial biofilms. This effect was specifically dependent on the ability of the bacteria to form biofilms as demonstrated by exogenous administration of biofilm inhibiting peptides and the use of mutant Staphylococcus spp. deficient in biofilm formation. This represents the first direct evidence for the effect of bacterial biofilms on cutaneous wound healing.

Improving outcomes of the distally based hemisoleus flap: principles of angiosomes in flap design.

BACKGROUND: The reliability of the distally based pedicled hemisoleus flap for coverage of relatively small medial distal third leg wounds has been continuously debated among reconstructive surgeons. Whereas some authors report that the distally based hemisoleus can be elevated safely, other authors argue that the flap's retrograde blood supply is problematic. The authors believe that application of angiosome principles may help surgeons to better design the distally based hemisoleus flap such that outcomes are optimized. METHODS: Seventeen patients received a distally based hemisoleus flap for coverage of a small distal third leg wound. Flaps were designed to capture one full angiosome and only a portion of the adjacent angiosome. RESULTS: Reliable soft-tissue coverage and wound healing were achieved in all patients. Mean operative time of 130 minutes reflected the relative technical ease and efficiency of the surgery. Only one patient suffered distal tip flap necrosis, which did not compromise soft-tissue coverage and ultimately resulted in a healed wound and fracture. CONCLUSIONS: The distally based hemisoleus flap is an efficacious method of treating small distal third medial tibial wounds. Flap design based on vascular perforator angiosome principles may help surgeons improve the reliability of this flap.

A prognostic model for the risk of development of upper extremity compartment syndrome in the setting of brachial artery injury.

A potentially devastating sequela of brachial artery injury in the setting of upper extremity trauma is the development of compartment syndrome (CS). We performed a retrospective review of 139 trauma patients with brachial artery injury from 1985-2001. Objective characteristics of each case were extracted and analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Three variables were found to be significant in the final model: estimated intraoperative blood loss as a continuous variable, and presence of a multiple arterial injury and presence of an open fracture as categorical variables. Odds ratio were 1.12, 5.79, and 2.68, respectively. We used these variables to create a summative score for the development of CS with weights assigned proportional to the adjusted odds ratio. Odds of having CS for subjects in group 2 and group 3 are 5.3 and 15.1 times the odds for subjects in group 1, respectively. Applying multivariate regression analysis to the largest series of brachial artery injuries to date, we have developed a predictive scoring model of CS.

Outpatient abdominoplasty under conscious sedation.

According to the authors, advantages of outpatient abdominoplasty performed with the patient under conscious sedation are decreased nausea and vomiting and greatly reduced risk of deep venous thrombosis. Sharp dissection without electrocautery, preservation of perforators, and a plane of dissection that preserves lymphatic vessels has provided rapid recovery, minimal need for postoperative narcotics, and a low complication rate.

The DsbA signal sequence directs efficient, cotranslational export of passenger proteins to the Escherichia coli periplasm via the signal recognition particle pathway.

The Escherichia coli cytoplasmic protein thioredoxin 1 can be efficiently exported to the periplasmic space by the signal sequence of the DsbA protein (DsbAss) but not by the signal sequence of alkaline phosphatase (PhoA) or maltose binding protein (MBP). Using mutations of the signal recognition particle (SRP) pathway, we found that DsbAss directs thioredoxin 1 to the SRP export pathway. When DsbAss is fused to MBP, MBP also is directed to the SRP pathway. We show directly that the DsbAss-promoted export of MBP is largely cotranslational, in contrast to the mode of MBP export when the native signal sequence is utilized. However, both the export of thioredoxin 1 by DsbAss and the export of DsbA itself are quite sensitive to even the slight inhibition of SecA. These results suggest that SecA may be essential for both the slow posttranslational pathway and the SRP-dependent cotranslational pathway. Finally, probably because of its rapid folding in the cytoplasm, thioredoxin provides, along with gene fusion approaches, a sensitive assay system for signal sequences that utilize the SRP pathway.