Introduction: Reduction mammoplasty is becoming more commonly performed in the pediatric population yet the risk factors for complications have not been well-studied. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between preoperative patient characteristics and postoperative complications in a large population of pediatric patients undergoing reduction mammoplasty. Methods: Pediatric patients undergoing reduction mammoplasty were identified within the 2012 to 2019 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for cross-sectional study. The predictor variables were age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, chronic steroid use, time under anesthesia, and operative time, and the primary outcome was a 30-day postoperative surgical site-related complication. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify a relationship between predictor variable and primary outcome. Results: A total of 1216 pediatric patients were identified with a mean age of 16.6 years and mean BMI of 30.8 kg/m2. The incidence of overall postoperative complications was 4.6%. Superficial surgical site infection (SSI) was the most common complication (29/1216; 2.4%). BMI was significantly associated with superficial SSI (odds ratio: 1.03, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.05, P = .02). Sixteen patients (1.32%) underwent a second operation, most commonly to address hematoma/seroma (7/16; 43.8%). Conclusion: In a large series of patients, pediatric reduction mammoplasty is a safe procedure with a low complication rate. BMI was significantly associated with the incidence of superficial SSIs with the most common cause for reoperation being a hematoma/seroma. This study can help guide the discussion between physicians and patients regarding potential risks associated with pediatric reduction mammoplasty.
Introduction: Before and after photographs (BAPs) in breast surgery have been identified as important components of the informed consent process. Currently, there is limited consensus on the contents and presentation of BAPs. This study collected the opinions of prior and prospective patients on this topic. Methods: A survey, based on criteria identified by our previous nominal group technique (NGT) study, was designed to obtain patient perspectives on BAPs in breast surgery. Amazon Mechanical Turk, a validated crowd-sourcing tool, was used to identify and survey a group of 72 participants who indicated that they had undergone or were planning to undergo breast surgery. Likert items were analyzed using either chi-squared or Fisher's exact test. Results: Most respondents were cis-gendered-women (89%), Caucasian (83%), and between 31 and 41 years old (38%). Respondents agreed that BAPs are important to the consent process, for enabling patient-centered care, and should be presented in standardized sets. BAPs should be more accessible through different platforms, display multiple time points to show the healing process, and have multiple views including close-ups of scars. Photos should be unaltered except for de-identification, and have more diversity with regard to patient gender, age, skin color, and body mass index. These results align with results from our NGT study. Conclusion: Through this study we have identified many criteria that BAPs should meet according to prior and prospective breast surgery patients. Surgeons should think critically about how they present BAPs during the consent process to ensure effective patient-centered care.
Introduction: Upper limb function loss in cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) contributes to substantial disability, and negatively impacts quality of life. Nerve transfer and tendon transfer surgery can provide improved upper limb function. This study assessed the utilization of nerve and tendon transfer surgery for individuals with tetraplegia in Canada. Methods: Data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information's Discharge Abstracts Database and the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System were used to identify the nerve and tendon transfer procedures performed in individuals with tetraplegia (2004-2020). Cases were identified using cervical SCI ICD-10-CA codes and Canadian Classification of Intervention codes for upper extremity nerve and tendon transfers. Data on sex, age at time of procedure, province, and hospital stay duration were recorded. Results: From 2004 to 2020, there were ≤80 nerve transfer procedures (81% male, mean age 38.3 years) and 61 tendon transfer procedures (78% male, mean age 45.0 years) performed (highest in Ontario and British Columbia). Using an estimate of 50% eligibility, an average of 1.3% of individuals underwent nerve transfer and 1.0% underwent tendon transfer. Nerve transfers increased over time (2004-2009, n = <5; 2010-2015, n = 27; 2016-2019, n = 49) and tendon transfers remained relatively constant. Both transfer types were performed as day-surgery or single night stay. Conclusions: Nerve and tendon transfer surgery to improve upper limb function in Canadians with tetraplegia remains low. This study highlights a substantial gap in care for this vulnerable population. Identification of barriers that prevent access to care is required to promote best practice for upper extremity care.