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Background:. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database provides an important resource for determining complication rates and risk factors for surgical procedures. However, NSQIP is limited to 30-day follow-up, and it is unclear whether this is reliable for evaluating prosthetic breast reconstruction outcomes. Methods:. A single-institution, cross-sectional, retrospective review was performed for patients undergoing mastectomy with immediate, prepectoral tissue expander reconstruction. Timing of complications was stratified as early (within 30 days of operation) versus late (after 30 days). Categorical variables were compared using χ2 (or Fisher exact) tests, and continuous variables were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Results:. There were 301 patients (509 reconstructed breasts) included with a median follow-up time of 11 months. Of them, 176 patients (58%) experienced a postoperative complication—140 patients (47%) experienced an early complication and 36 patients (12%) experienced a late complication. Patients with late complications had a significantly higher rate of reconstructive failure compared with the early complication group (17% versus 10%; P = 0.001) and were more likely to require a flap (28% versus 7%; P = 0.001) for final reconstruction. Revision surgery rates after final implant placement were higher in the late complication group (36% versus 64%; P = 0.285). Conclusions:. Late complications after prepectoral breast reconstruction have a more prominent impact on reconstructive failure and revisions than early complications. This finding may inform strategies to revise national databases such as NSQIP to include more detailed information and longer capture periods.

Background:. Silicone gel removal after breast implant rupture is a difficult task. Silicone is hydrophobic and thus cannot be irrigated effectively with saline. Attempts at mechanical removal with sponges are often partially successful. Incomplete removal results in persistent silicone contamination with possible local inflammation, infection, and silicone granulomata. In this partially quantitative investigation, we assess the de-adhesion ability of different clindamycin formulations against known surfactant controls when combined with silicone gel. Methods:. To demonstrate surfactant properties in vitro, clindamycin phosphate, clindamycin hydrochloride, and a known surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), were compared. An amount of 170 g of silicone gel placed in a dry glass container exhibited strong adherence to the container walls. In separate trials, clindamycin phosphate (300 mg in 100 mL), clindamycin HCl (300 mg in 100 mL), and SDS (1 g in 100 mL) solutions with normal saline were added to the silicone aggregate, and de-adhesion properties were compared. Results:. All solutions aided in the de-adhesion of the sticky silicone from glass substrate. The SDS had the strongest effect, followed by clindamycin phosphate and then clindamycin HCl. The observed interactions suggested that all of the solutions behaved as ionic surfactant coating the silicone with negative charges via adsorption. However, the phosphate anionic formulation was associated with a greater surfactant effect than HCl. Conclusions:. Clindamycin acts as a surfactant to aid in the clinical removal of ruptured silicone gel. Clindamycin phosphate seems to have a stronger effect than clindamycin HCl, likely related to the negative charges on the phosphate groups.

Background:. Gender-affirmation surgery (GAS) allows for transgender and nonconforming patients to achieve a more congruent physical appearance and alleviate dysphoria. Social media, such as Instagram, has adopted an increasingly important role in plastic and reconstructive surgery, and understanding trends and usage related to GAS can have significant implications for patient education and outreach. As such, this cross-sectional study aims to address the following questions related to GAS-related content available on Instagram: (1) Who is posting this content? (2) What specific hashtags are they using? and (3) What are the implications behind these posts? Methods:. This study analyzed 22 GAS-related hashtags on Instagram. Content analysis was then used to evaluate the “top” 15 posts (n = 330) associated with each hashtag. Results:. A total of 425,607 posts were associated with the 22 hashtags queried. #topsurgery had the highest number of associated posts (n = 279,480), followed by #ftmtopsurgery (n = 41,769) and #vaginoplasty (n = 39,737). Of the “top” 330 posts, 299 were not duplicates. Plastic surgeons eligible for membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons accounted for only 1.7% of “top” posts (n = 5); noneligible physicians accounted for 6.0% of posts (n = 18). Patients accounted for the majority of the “top” posts sampled (n = 236; 79.9%). Conclusions:. When used appropriately, social media can be a powerful tool for spreading awareness on procedures and educating patients. Although there is a paucity of plastic surgeons posting GAS-related content on Instagram, patients are playing an important role in disseminating information.