Project description:PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for oculoplastic surgeons worldwide, in terms of care delivery, medical equipment and at-risk patient management. To date, there are no centralized or compiled international COVID-19 guidelines for oculoplastic surgeons.MethodsWe examined COVID-19 guidelines published by oculoplastic societies worldwide. All countries around the world were initially considered in this study, but only 9 oculoplastic societies met the inclusion criteria: (1) publicly available guidelines displayed on the oculoplastic society's website, or (2) guidelines received from the oculoplastic society after contacting them twice using the contact information on their website.ResultsThe 9 oculoplastic societies examined include: the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the British Oculoplastic Surgery Society, the Canadian Society of Oculoplastic Surgery, the European Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, la Sociedad Española de Cirugía Plástica Ocular y Orbitaria, la Asociación Colombiana de Cirugía Plastica Ocular, the Asia Pacific Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, the Oculoplastics Association of India, and the Philippine Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. They all agree that urgent procedures should not be delayed, while non-necessary procedures (including all elective clinic services) should be postponed. When adequate protective equipment is available, oculoplastic surgeons must treat urgent cases. Eight out of 9 societies have provided recommendations on personal protective equipment use in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to adequately protect mucous membranes. Other recommendations provided by certain societies are related to shelter in place measures, hand hygiene and surface disinfection protocols, patient triage, and thyroid eye disease management.ConclusionsAll 9 societies with published recommendations have provided valuable recommendations to their members, regarding urgency of care and infection control solutions (personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, telemedicine, and social isolation).
Project description:Objectives The objectives of this study include characterizing the practice patterns and testing strategies of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery (FPRS) fellowship directors (FDs) secondary to COVID-19 and to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on FPRS fellowship training. Study Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Online. Methods A survey was sent to all American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery FDs and co-FDs in September 2020. Descriptive analyses were performed. Results Of 77 eligible FDs, 45 responded (58.4%) representing a diverse group across the United States. All but 1 FD routinely screened patients for COVID-19 in the preoperative setting. FDs largely believed that universal preoperative testing was cost-effective (66.7%), improved patient safety (80.0%) and health care worker safety (95.6%), and was not burdensome for patients (53.3%). With regard to volume of cosmetic/aesthetic, reconstructive, facial nerve, and trauma surgery, FDs indicated largely no change in volume (34.9%, 71.0%, 68.4%, and 80.0%, respectively) or fellow experience (67.4%, 80.6%, 84.2%, and 80.0%). Half (50.0%) of the FDs reported decreased volume of congenital/craniofacial surgery, but 75.0% did not believe that there was a change in fellow experience. Overall, of the 15 responses indicating “worsened training” across all domains of FPRS, 14 were located in the Northeast (93.33%). Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has had the least impact on the volume of reconstructive procedures, facial nerve operations, and trauma surgery and a negative impact on congenital/craniofacial surgery volume, and it has accelerated the demand for cosmetic/aesthetic operations. Overall, the majority of FDs did not feel as though their fellows’ trainings would be adversely affected by the ongoing pandemic.
Project description:IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to identify leadership perspective on the impact of COVID-19 Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS) residency application cycle in 2020 and its future implications.MethodsA survey was sent to residency program leaders (RPL), consisting of program directors and division chiefs/chairs. The survey was sent weekly for 4 weeks and remained open for 28 days.ResultsA total of 156 PRS RPL were emailed. Response rate was 24% (38/156). A total of 68% were division chiefs/chairs, and 42% were program directors. Ten percent were both division chiefs/chairs and program directors. Among them, 78% were male. Eighty-seven percent of RPLs reported changes in the number of away rotations, of which 91% reported less away rotations. Only 27% of programs provided virtual away rotations (VAR), and 88% of RPLs were not comfortable writing letters of recommendation after VARs. Hundred percent of cases reported that VARs influenced whether an applicant received an interview. A total of 24 RPLs (63%) reported no changes in how they viewed applications due to the pandemic. However, 5 (13%) reported USMLE scores were more important, 4 (11%) reported research was more important, and 4 (11%) reported LORs were more important. Sixty-six percent did not feel they relied heavily on home institution candidates. Seventy-six percent found virtual interviews to be effective in evaluating applicants, and 71% reported they would add virtual interviews in future interviews.ConclusionsDuring the 2020-2021 PRS residency application cycle, fewer away rotations were offered, and formerly in-person activities were moved to virtual platforms. Virtual activities caused difficulty assessing candidates for many residency programs.
Project description:The World Health Organisation characterised the spread of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) as a pandemic in March 2020, signalling medical governance and professional organisations worldwide to make urgent changes in their service. We have performed a systematic review of the literature to identify all published literature on plastic surgery and COVID-19, in an effort to summarise the evidence for future reference. Our search identified 1207 articles from electronic databases and 17 from manual search, out of which 20 were included in the final data synthesis. Out of the included studies, most originated from the United States (n = 12), five from Europe, two from China and one from Australia. Strategies described to limit the spread and impact of the virus could be divided into nine distinct categories, including the suspension of non-essential services, use of telemedicine, use of personal protective equipment, screening patients for COVID-19, restructuring the healthcare team, adapting standard management practices, using distance-learning for trainees, promoting public education and initiatives, and minimising intra-hospital viral transmission. The ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 may prompt plastic surgeons to adapt special strategies as pandemic progresses and subsequently declines. The findings of this review can prove beneficial to other plastic surgery departments in informing their response strategies to the pandemic and in a second wave of the disease.
Project description:Importance:Best practices for antibiotic use after facial plastic and reconstructive procedures have been the subject of much debate, and there is a need for large-scale data to guide further development of evidence-based guidelines for antibiotic use in this setting. Objective:To assess patterns of postoperative antibiotic prescriptions and infection rates after nasal and oculoplastic procedures. Design, Setting, and Participants:A retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted using IBM MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental research databases of 294?039 patients who underwent facial plastic surgery procedures between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2015. Patients were excluded if they were younger than 18 years, lacked continuous insurance coverage for 1 year before and after the procedure, or underwent additional procedures on the surgery date of interest. Statistical analysis was performed from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures:Primary outcomes were antibiotic prescription patterns in the immediate postoperative period and rates of postoperative infectious complications. Explanatory variables included patient demographics, procedure type, and relevant comorbidities, which were used in multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results:Of the 294?039 patients who met inclusion criteria (55.9% women and 44.1% men; mean [SD] age, 54.0 [18.6 years]), 45.2% filled prescriptions for postoperative antibiotics, including 55.3% of patients undergoing nasal procedures and 14.7% of patients undergoing oculoplastic procedures. Superficial surgical site infections occurred in 1.6% of patients, while deep surgical site infections occurred in 0.3% of patients. On multivariable logistic regression, patients receiving postoperative antibiotics were at significantly decreased risk of postoperative infections (nasal procedures: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.144 [95% CI, 0.102-0.203]; oculoplastic procedures: aOR, 0.254 [95% CI, 0.104-0.622]) compared with those who did not receive postoperative antibiotics. Increased duration of postoperative antibiotics was not associated with reduced rates of infectious complications (nasal procedures: aOR, 1.000 [95% CI, 0.978-1.022]; oculoplastic procedures: aOR, 1.024 [95% CI, 0.959-01.092]). Despite being more likely to experience postoperative infections, patients with a history of tobacco use (aOR, 0.806 [95% CI, 0.747-0.870]), immunodeficiency (aOR, 0.774 [95% CI, 0.737-0.813]), or type 1 or 2 diabetes (aOR, 0.810 [95% CI, 0.772-0.850]) were less likely to be prescribed antibiotics than those without these conditions. Conclusions and Relevance:Postoperative antibiotic prescriptions were associated with reduced rates of infections after facial plastic surgery. This study highlights the role of population-level data in the development of best practices for postoperative antibiotic use and identifies the need for additional examination of antibiotic use patterns and recommendations for populations at increased risk for postoperative wound infection.
Project description:Background: Innovation is an essential aspect of plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS), whether it involves improving current processes or implementing radical change that disrupts the status quo. Collaborating and sharing innovations help advance the field of PRS as a whole. Methods: An anonymous survey was administered to members of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons on their opinions of the top five innovations in PRS of the last 100 years. Results: A list of 69 unique innovations were compiled; the top five innovations overall were microsurgery, myocutaneous flaps, craniofacial surgery, negative pressure wound therapy, and organ transplantation. This list was reviewed by the American Association of Plastic Surgeons Technology Committee, and expanded to 100 unique innovations. Conclusions: We discuss why the above innovations were essential to the development of PRS, as well as the unique factors that can make a new product or procedure into something that remodels the field of PRS.
Project description:The novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a health threat worldwide and has been declared global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Possible transmission routes, including respiratory droplets, close contact, and aerosol propagation, have put plastic and reconstructive healthcare professionals at high risk, especially during surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to summarize and share our experience of infection control measures and corresponding outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsInfection control measures, including workflow optimization, useful epidemiologic survey methods, and personal full protective clothing, were discussed. Characteristics and outcomes of emergency cases and elective cases under local and general anesthesia during the COVID-19 pandemic were summarized.ResultsA hierarchy of interventions were applied mainly from 4 aspects. First, administration control and online consultation significantly decreased patient attendance. Second, a triage workflow was established to identify high-/low-risk patients, with clinical manifestations (fever, fatigue, cough, nasal discharge, etc), epidemiologic survey, blood test, chest computed tomographic scan, and coronavirus test if necessary. Third, strict environmental control was adopted using increasing ventilation, isolated room for inpatients, etc. Fourth, proper rotation of healthcare staff was ensured to reduce workload and minimize possible contact. A total of 904 emergency interventions, 2561 local anesthesia, and 570 general anesthesia were performed during this period, and none of the cases/healthcare professionals were found to be infected.ConclusionsOur experience could help global plastic and reconstructive healthcare professionals to get better preparation and continue to give qualified medical services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proper adjustments should be taken according to their own clinical settings.
Project description:BackgroundAs a surgical discipline without anatomic boundaries, plastic surgery overlaps with several other specialties. This study aims to measure longitudinal trends in the proportion of commercially reimbursed procedures performed by plastic surgeons compared to other specialists. We hypothesize that there is encroachment in commercial market share by anatomically defined subspecialists within otolaryngology, ophthalmology, and dermatology.MethodsThe IBM® MarketScan® Research Databases were queried to extract patients who underwent rhinoplasty, eyelid procedures, and skin cancer reconstruction covered by commercial insurance from 2007 to 2016 in the USA. Surgeon specialty was identified. Poisson regression modeled predictors of provider specialty for each procedure over time, adjusting for patient gender, region, facility setting, and diagnosis.ResultsA total of 430,472 rhinoplasty, eyelid, and skin cancer procedures were performed during the study period. For each year, the proportion of cases performed by plastic surgeons decreased by 2.1% for rhinoplasty compared to otolaryngologists, 2.0% for eyelid procedures compared to ophthalmologists, and 3.0% for skin cancer reconstruction compared to dermatologists (p<0.001). Plastic surgeons were less likely to perform the procedure if the underlying diagnosis or preceding procedure drew from referral bases of "anatomic" specialists, such as sinonasal disease for otolaryngologists (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.829), disorders of the eyelid or orbit for ophthalmologists (IRR 0.646), and Mohs excision for dermatologists (IRR 0.381) (p<0.001).ConclusionsPlastic surgeons are losing ground on commercially reimbursed facial reconstructive procedures historically performed by the specialty. Plastic surgeons must develop strategies to preserve the commercial market share of these procedures and avoid compromise to academic centers and resident education.
Project description:BackgroundGiven the growing number of women in plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS), it is imperative to evaluate the extent of gender diversity and equity policies among Canadian PRS programs to support female trainees and staff surgeons.MethodsA modified version of the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Gender Gap Analysis tool was delivered to Canadian PRS Division Chairs (n = 11) and Residency Program Directors (n = 11). The survey assessed gender discrimination and equity policies, paid parental leave policies, and support for work/life balance.ResultsSix Program Directors (55% response rate) and ten Division Chairs (91% response rate) completed the survey. Fifty percent of respondents reported having a formal gender non-discrimination and equal opportunity policy in their program or division. Eighty-three percent of PRS residency programs offered paid maternity/paternity/caregiver leave; however, only 29% offered financial or non-financial support to its staff surgeons. Only 33% of programs had approaches to support residents as parents and/or caregivers upon return to work. Work/life balance was supported for most trainees (67%) but only few faculty members (14%).ConclusionsThe majority of Canadian PRS programs have approaches rather than formal policies to ensure gender non-discrimination and equal opportunity among residents and faculty. Although residency programs support wellness, few have approaches for trainees as parents and/or caregivers upon return to work. At the faculty level, approaches and policies lack support for maternity/paternity/caregiver leave or work/life balance. This information can be used to develop policy for support of plastic surgery trainees and faculty.