How to Improve Speaking Skills in Plastic Surgery Training? Survey in Residents Participants in Pecha Kucha Contest.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about educational games in Plastic Surgery training. Pecha kucha game has proved to be helpful tool to improve communicative skills. This study survey in resident participants in Pecha Kucha contest assessed how to improve speaking skills in plastic surgery training. METHODS: In the second edition of Pecha Kucha contest of the Mexican Society of Plastic Surgery, a survey was conducted with the residents to know the utility of this educational game. RESULTS: Twenty-six residents participated in the survey. Most of them from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México. Most of the residents considered it to be a good tool in order to improve communication skills and helpful for their future practice. The amount of time to present an idea was considered enough to express an idea. The most common proportion between words and images was 20-80% in the presentation. CONCLUSION: Pecha Kucha helped to improve communication skills during residents' training. We encourage other plastic surgery societies to incorporate educational games in their national and international meetings.

Pirfenidone increases the epithelialization rate of skin graft donor sites.

BACKGROUND: Improving epithelialization of donor sites of split-thickness skin grafts (STSG) is extremely important in burned patients. We aimed to assess the efficacy of pirfenidone, a drug with anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and antioxidant effects, to accelerate wound healing. We hypothesized that pirfenidone accelerates the epithelialization rates in donor sites. METHODS: We included 28 patients requiring STSGs with donor sites of at least 7.5×10cm. After harvesting, the donor sites were randomly treated with either non-adherent gauze or topical pirfenidone and covered with non-adherent gauze. To assess epithelialization, biopsies were taken at day 7 and 10 on the pirfenidone group, and at day 10 on the control group. Percentage of epithelialization was assessed on the same days through clinical photographs. The pathologists and the clinical observer were blinded to the group and timepoint of the samples. RESULTS: 24 patients were included in the study, with a median age of 21(5-73) for control group and 28(9-61) for pirfenidone. The thickness of epithelium was 75.10±60µm at day 10 for the control group; and 98.21±6µm at day 7, and 108±22µm at day 10 for the pirfenidone group (p=<0.05). Epithelization rate was 83.58±14.09% at day 10 for the control group; and 98.7±1.8% at day 7, and 99.5±1.6% at day 10 for the pirfenidone group. CONCLUSIONS: Pirfenidone is efficient in reducing the healing times when applied in STSG donor sites, at both days 7 and 10.

Resiliencia en Pacientes Pediátricos Sobrevivientes de Quemaduras / Resilience in Pediatric Burn Survivivors

Las lesiones por quemaduras se consideran como unas de las lesiones más traumáticas que los niños pueden enfrentar y sus consecuencias van más allá de los problemas físicos, por lo qué conocer el ajuste positivo después de una quemadura resulta de gran importancia. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron identificar los niveles de resiliencia de un grupo de pacientes pediátricos sobrevivientes de quemaduras y evaluar las diferencias de acuerdo al sexo. Consistió en un estudio transversal en donde se evaluó a 57 niños y adolescentes sobrevivientes de quemaduras, quienes acudieron al Servicio de cirugía plástica del Hospital Universitario de la UANL. Los resultados mostraron que los niños y adolescentes de este estudio reportaron un alto nivel de resiliencia, por lo que puede concluirse que experimentar un evento traumático o devastador no necesariamente conlleva a presentar consecuencias negativas en el funcionamiento psicológico o comportamental.

Burn injuries are considered one of the most traumatic injuries a child or adolescent may experience and their consequences go beyond the physical problems, therefore the knowledge of positive adjustment after a burn is important. The aims of this study were to identify the levels of resilience in a group of pediatric burn survivors and to evaluate the differences by sex. This was a cross-sectional study in which 57 children and adolescents burn survivors, who attended to the Plastic Surgery Service of the UANL University Hospital, were evaluated. The results showed that children and adolescents of this study reported a high level of resilience, so it can be concluded that experiencing a traumatic or devastating event does not necessarily leads to negative consequences in psychological or behavioral functioning.