OBJECTIVE To describe the geographic and temporal trends in cosmetic facial plastic surgery procedure costs and frequency during the last decade and to evaluate factors that may influence changes in the demand for cosmetic procedures. METHODS A survey sent to every (N = 1727) active fellow, member, or associate of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery assessing the...

Achieving a level of technical skill and confidence in surgical operations is the main goal of plastic surgical training. Operating rooms were accepted as the practical teaching venues of the traditional apprenticeship model. However, increased patient population, time, and ethical and legal considerations made preoperation room practical work a must for plastic surgical training. There are sev...

BACKGROUND Exposure to plastic surgery during medical school is limited. Most interested applicants form their perceptions of careers in this surgical specialty during elective rotations. OBJECTIVE To investigate the perceptions of Canadian medical students considering a career in plastic surgery. The results obtained were then compared with current Canadian plastic surgery residents' percept...

A pear shaped non-electrostatic spacer, composed of steel with a volume of 250 ml and equipped with a facemask containing integrated inlet and outlet valves for inspiration and expiration, was compared with three plastic spacers. The plastic spacers were primed with repeated puffs from a budesonide pressurised metered dose inhaler (p-MDI) to minimise the electrostatic charge on the plastic. The...

INTRODUCTION Relative value units (RVUs) were developed as a quantifier of requisite training, knowledge, and technical expertise for performing various procedures. In select procedures, increasing RVUs have been shown to substitute well for increasing surgical complexity and have been linked to greater risk of complications. The relationship of RVU to outcomes has yet to be examined in the pla...

Background. The goals of this project were to evaluate the current perspective on letters of recommendation and to assess the need for, and acceptance of, a more standardized letter of recommendation (LOR). Methods. An eight-question survey was distributed to plastic surgery program directors. A five-point Likert scale was selected as a means of quantifying the participants' responses to the su...