• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.803-805
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• 2015

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.70-77
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• 2020

Background As the demand for cosmetic surgery continues to rise, plastic surgery programs and the training core curriculum have evolved to reflect these changes. This study aims to evaluate the perceived quality of current cosmetic surgery training in terms of case exposure and educational methods. Methods A 16-question survey was sent to graduates who completed their training at a U.S. plastic surgery training program in 2017. The survey assessed graduates' exposure to cosmetic surgery, teaching modalities employed and their overall perceived competence. Case complexity was characterized by the minimum number of cases needed by the graduate to feel confident in performing the procedure. Results There was a 25% response rate. The majority of respondents were residents (83%, n=92) and the remaining were fellows (17%, n=18). Almost three quarters of respondents were satisfied with their cosmetic training. Respondents rated virtual training as the most effective learning modality and observing attendings' patients/cases as least effective. Perceived competence was more closely aligned with core curriculum status than case complexity, i.e. graduates feel more prepared for core cosmetic procedures despite being more technically difficult than non-core procedures. Conclusions Despite the variability in cosmetic exposure during training, most plastic surgery graduates are satisfied with their aesthetic training. Incorporation of teaching modalities, such as virtual training, can increase case exposure and allow trainees more autonomy. The recommended core curriculum is adequately training plastic surgery graduates for common procedures and more specialized procedures should be consigned to aesthetic fellowship training.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.218-224
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• 2014

Plastic surgery training worldwide has seen a thorough restructuring over the past decade, with the introduction of formal training curricula and work-based assessment tools. Part of this process has been the introduction of revalidation and a greater use of simulation in training delivery. Simulation is an increasingly important tool for educators because it provides a way to reduce risks to both trainees and patients, whilst facilitating improved technical proficiency. Current microsurgery training interventions are often predicated on theories of skill acquisition and development that follow a 'practice makes perfect' model. Given the changing landscape of surgical training and advances in educational theories related to skill development, research is needed to assess the potential benefits of alternative models, particularly cross-training, a model now widely used in non-medical areas with significant benefits. Furthermore, with the proliferation of microsurgery training interventions and therefore diversity in length, cost, content and models used, appropriate standardisation will be an important factor to ensure that courses deliver consistent and effective training that achieves appropriate levels of competency. Key research requirements should be gathered and used in directing further research in these areas to achieve on-going improvement of microsurgery training.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.207-214
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• 2022

Background Fellowship training is becoming more popular in plastic surgery, with over half of residents pursuing advanced training. Here, we investigate how clinical and research fellowship training impacts career trajectory and scholastic achievement in academic plastic surgery. Methods Plastic surgery faculty members, from programs recognized by the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons, were identified using institutional Web sites. Data extracted included faculty demographics, training history, academic positions, and research productivity. Continuous and categorical variables were compared using t-tests and chi-square, respectively. Results In total, 949 faculty members were included, with 657 (69%) having completed fellowship training. Integrated program residents were more likely to complete a fellowship when compared with independent residents (p < 0.0001). Fellowship trained faculty were more likely to have graduated from a higher ranked residency program, in terms of both overall and research reputation (p = 0.005 and p = 0.016, respectively). When controlling for years in practice, there was no difference found in number of publications, Hirsch index (h-index), or National Institutes of Health funding between faculty between the two cohorts (p > 0.05). In a subanalysis comparing hand, craniofacial, microsurgery, and research fellowships, those who completed a research fellowship had higher h-indices and were more likely to reach full professor status (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Fellowship training had no effect on being promoted to Chief/Chair of departments (p = 0.16). Conclusion Fellowship training is common among academic plastic surgeons. In this study, both clinical and research fellowships were associated with various aspects of academic success. However, fellowship training alone did not affect attainment of leadership positions.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.595-598
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• 2016

The use of human vessels at the beginning of microsurgery training is highly recommended. But vessels with the appropriate length for training are not often obtained. Whether these vessels may be reused for training has not been reported. Accordingly, we harvested vessels from discarded tissues in lymph node dissection and demonstrated that vascular anastomosis training using the same human vessels several times is possible by placing the vessels in a freezer and defrosting them with hot water. Vascular walls can be stored for microsurgical training until about 4 years after harvest, as shown in the gross appearance and histologic findings of our preserved vessels. We recommend the technique presented here for the long-term reuse of human vessels for microsurgery training that closely resembles real procedures.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.209-212
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• 2014

Microsurgery training in Singapore began in 1980 with the opening of the Experimental Surgical Unit. Since then, the unit has continued to grow and have held microsurgical training courses biannually. The road to becoming a full-fledged reconstructive surgeon requires the mastering of both microvascular as well as flap raising techniques and requires time, patience and good training facilities. In Singapore, over the past 2 decades, we have had the opportunity to develop good training facilities and to refine our surgical education programmes in reconstructive microsurgery. In this article, we share our experience with training in reconstructive microsurgery.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.154-164
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• 2020

Various simulator systems for surgery training have been developed and recently become more widely utilized with technology advancement and change in medical education adopting actively simulation-based training. The authors have developed tissue-instrument interaction modeling and graphical simulation algorithms for an arthroscopic surgery training simulator system. In this paper, we propose algorithms for basic surgical techniques, such as cutting, shaving, drilling, grasping, suturing and knot tying for rotator cuff surgery. The proposed method constructs a virtual 3-dimensional model from actual patient data and implements a real-time deformation of the surgical object model through interaction between ten types of arthroscopic surgical tools and a surgical object model. The implementation is based on the Simulation Open Framework Architecture (SOFA, Inria Foundation, France) and custom algorithms were implemented as pulg-in codes. Qualitative review of the developed results by physicians showed both feasibility and limitations of the system for actual use in surgery training.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.213-217
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• 2014

The widespread use of microsurgery in numerous surgical fields has increased the need for basic microsurgical training outside of the operating room. The traditional start of microsurgical training has been in undertaking a 5-day basic microsurgery course. In an era characterised by financial constraints in academic and healthcare institutions as well as increasing emphasis on patient safety, there has been a shift in microsurgery training to simulation environments. This paper reviews the stepwise framework of microsurgical skill acquisition providing a cost analysis of basic microsurgery courses in order to aid planning and dissemination of microsurgical training worldwide.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4711-4714
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• 2015

Background: The incidence of lung cancer increases with age. Approximately 50% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are over 70 years old. Because of the increasing elderly population, treatment approaches in this age group continue to be studied similar to groups of young people. Materials and Methods: In the current study, 26 patients who underwent radical surgery and adjuvan chemoradiation at Ataturk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research Hospital were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Of 21 patients (81%) were male and the average age was 74.4. Lobectomy was performed in 18 cases, pneumonectomy in 3, sleeve lobectomy in 3 and bilobectomy in 2. There was no perioperative or early period mortality. Overall survival was 24.5 months. Conclusions: From our study, lung cancer surgery and adjuvant therapy can be performed safely with low morbidity in the elderly.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.444-448
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• 2013

Background: We aimed to investigate the preoperative, operative, and postoperative factors affecting intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) insertion in patients undergoing isolated on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We also investigated factors affecting morbidity, mortality, and survival in patients with IABP support. Methods: Between January 2002 and December 2009, 1,657 patients underwent isolated CABG in Izmir Katip Celebi University Ataturk Training and Research Hospital. The number of patients requiring support with IABP was 134 (8.1%). Results: In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time and prolonged operation time were independent predictive factors of IABP insertion. The postoperative mortality rate was 35.8% and 1% in patients with and without IABP support, respectively (p=0.000). Postoperative renal insufficiency, prolonged ventilatory support, and postoperative atrial fibrillation were independent predictive factors of postoperative mortality in patients with IABP support. The mean follow-up time was $38.55{\pm}22.70$ months and $48.78{\pm}25.20$ months in patients with and without IABP support, respectively. The follow-up mortality rate was 3% (n=4) and 5.3% (n=78) in patients with and without IABP support, respectively. Conclusion: The patients with IABP support had a higher postoperative mortality rate and a longer length of intensive care unit and hospital stay. The mid-term survival was good for patients surviving the early postoperative period.