Objectives: The current medical school curriculum offers scant exposure to plastic surgery. Medical students and junior doctors are often inadequately prepared for in-hospital placements which may impact on patient sa...Objectives: The current medical school curriculum offers scant exposure to plastic surgery. Medical students and junior doctors are often inadequately prepared for in-hospital placements which may impact on patient safety and quality of care. We aimed to deliver a one-day “hands-on” practical session on basic surgical skills and principles in plastic surgery, and to assess its effectiveness at improving confidence to the specialty among junior trainees. Methods: The one-day practical session covered knot tying, suturing, LA administration, skin lesion excision and local flaps, with short concurrent lectures on principles of plastic surgery. Self-assessment confidence scores were recorded before and after the course on seven domains: a) knowledge: wound assessment and management, suture selection, and concepts of flaps;b) practical skills: Handling of surgical instrument, suturing, LA administration, and skin lesion excision. Results: Thirty-five participants attended: Six core surgical trainees, fifteen foundation doctors, and fourteen medical students. The overall course satisfaction was 9.13/10. Self-assessment confidence scores in all domains significantly improved after the course (p < 0.0001). Suturing (58.6%) and skin lesion excision (74.5%) demonstrated the largest improvement. Qualitative feedback was extremely positive. Conclusions: The hands-on nature of the course offered participants great opportunities to acquire the necessary confidence and practical skills required for in-hospital placements. It is vital for students and doctors interested in a career in plastic surgery to prepare adequately for this diverse specialty, which is covered in limited depth in medical school. The need for more practical skills courses on plastic surgery for this demographic is intuitive.展开更多
The use of tendon transfer to restore functions of extremities was initially recognised in the 19th century, and its advancement was further amplified by the polio epidemic towards the turn of that century. Tendon tra...The use of tendon transfer to restore functions of extremities was initially recognised in the 19th century, and its advancement was further amplified by the polio epidemic towards the turn of that century. Tendon transfer surgery extended to the use for traumatic reconstructive surgery during World War I, with key surgical pioneers, including Mayer, Sterling Bunnell, Guy Pulvertaft and Joseph Boyes. In 1921, Robert Jones first described the transfer of pronator teres (PT) to the wrist extensors for irreparable radial nerve paralysis in infantile hemiplegia. Although, a detailed description of its indication and surgical outcomes were not published until 1959 and 1970 by Stelling and Meyer, and Keats, respectively. Pronator teres is often the tendon of choice for reconstructing wrist extensors, and used in a multiple of pathologies, including radial nerve palsy, cerebral palsy, and tetraplegia. Reconstruction of finger extensors are less straightforward and options include flexor carpi radialis (FCR), flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU), and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS). Our article describes the techniques and outcomes of 25 patients that undergone pronator teres transfer. A good understanding of the pronator teres anatomical location and potential variations, aids efficient harvesting and limits unnecessary tissue dissection. Pronator teres tendon harvest is best performed through a systematic and anatomic approach.展开更多
文摘Objectives: The current medical school curriculum offers scant exposure to plastic surgery. Medical students and junior doctors are often inadequately prepared for in-hospital placements which may impact on patient safety and quality of care. We aimed to deliver a one-day “hands-on” practical session on basic surgical skills and principles in plastic surgery, and to assess its effectiveness at improving confidence to the specialty among junior trainees. Methods: The one-day practical session covered knot tying, suturing, LA administration, skin lesion excision and local flaps, with short concurrent lectures on principles of plastic surgery. Self-assessment confidence scores were recorded before and after the course on seven domains: a) knowledge: wound assessment and management, suture selection, and concepts of flaps;b) practical skills: Handling of surgical instrument, suturing, LA administration, and skin lesion excision. Results: Thirty-five participants attended: Six core surgical trainees, fifteen foundation doctors, and fourteen medical students. The overall course satisfaction was 9.13/10. Self-assessment confidence scores in all domains significantly improved after the course (p < 0.0001). Suturing (58.6%) and skin lesion excision (74.5%) demonstrated the largest improvement. Qualitative feedback was extremely positive. Conclusions: The hands-on nature of the course offered participants great opportunities to acquire the necessary confidence and practical skills required for in-hospital placements. It is vital for students and doctors interested in a career in plastic surgery to prepare adequately for this diverse specialty, which is covered in limited depth in medical school. The need for more practical skills courses on plastic surgery for this demographic is intuitive.
文摘The use of tendon transfer to restore functions of extremities was initially recognised in the 19th century, and its advancement was further amplified by the polio epidemic towards the turn of that century. Tendon transfer surgery extended to the use for traumatic reconstructive surgery during World War I, with key surgical pioneers, including Mayer, Sterling Bunnell, Guy Pulvertaft and Joseph Boyes. In 1921, Robert Jones first described the transfer of pronator teres (PT) to the wrist extensors for irreparable radial nerve paralysis in infantile hemiplegia. Although, a detailed description of its indication and surgical outcomes were not published until 1959 and 1970 by Stelling and Meyer, and Keats, respectively. Pronator teres is often the tendon of choice for reconstructing wrist extensors, and used in a multiple of pathologies, including radial nerve palsy, cerebral palsy, and tetraplegia. Reconstruction of finger extensors are less straightforward and options include flexor carpi radialis (FCR), flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU), and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS). Our article describes the techniques and outcomes of 25 patients that undergone pronator teres transfer. A good understanding of the pronator teres anatomical location and potential variations, aids efficient harvesting and limits unnecessary tissue dissection. Pronator teres tendon harvest is best performed through a systematic and anatomic approach.
