Phillips BT

[BACKGROUND] In the traditional ordering model, plastic surgeons often request 3-4 different sizes of implants, tissue expanders (TEs), and sizers per procedure and order duplicates as backup. This can result in large orders, ranging from 1…

[OBJECTIVE] Integrated plastic surgery residency programs are among the most competitive to match into, characterized by a low match rate and substantial financial burdens on applicants. This study aims to analyze the costs associated with …

Composite defects of the scalp and calvarium are complex reconstructive problems. Bony reconstruction is often achieved with synthetic implants, demanding robust soft tissue coverage. In cases where the native scalp has been compromised, fr…

[INTRODUCTION] It has been previously shown that gender bias exists in standardized letters of recommendation for plastic surgery residency. However, similar analysis has not been conducted for narrative letters of recommendation (NLORs). T…

[INTRODUCTION] Recent studies have suggested that telemedicine expansions during the coronavirus disease 2019 public health emergency may expand subspecialty care access to remote areas. However, the geographic distribution of telemedicine …

Thigh-based free flaps are a common second-line options in autologous breast reconstruction when the abdominal donor site is unavailable. While the profunda artery perforator (PAP) flap and gracilis-based flaps are most commonly utilized in…

[BACKGROUND] Podcasts provide an efficient means for asynchronous learning. However, no study to date has thoroughly assessed the landscape of educational podcasts in plastic surgery. Thus, this study aims to evaluate and characterize curre…

[OBJECTIVE] Rooted in economics market strategies, preference signaling was introduced to the Plastic Surgery Common Application (PSCA) in 2022 for integrated plastic surgery residency applicants. This study surveyed program and applicant e…

[BACKGROUND]  Microsurgery requires complex skill development with a steep learning curve for plastic surgery trainees. Flap dissection courses and simulation exercises are useful to acquire these skills. This study aims to assess plastic s…

The latissimus muscle continues to be a head to toe workhorse in free tissue transfer for coverage of large defects. Traditional full muscle harvest is performed in the lateral decubitus position which is frequently suboptimal or requires p…

[PURPOSE] Composite measures, like textbook outcomes, may be superior to individual metrics when assessing hospital performance and quality of care. This study utilized a Delphi process to define a textbook outcome in DIEP flap breast recon…

[BACKGROUND] There is a lack of consensus detailing the optimal approach to free-flap breast reconstruction when considering immediate, delayed, or staged techniques. This study compared costs, complications, and healthcare resource utiliza…

[UNLABELLED] Social media can be a powerful tool for plastic surgery training programs. Previous studies have shown the value social media may have in integrated residency program recruitment and program reputation. These findings may gener…

[BACKGROUND] Rhinoplasty is one of the most common aesthetic surgical procedures, and yet its postoperative complication profile remains somewhat ill-defined and underreported. The purpose of this study was to examine the quality of complic…

[BACKGROUND] Tracking surgical complications and unplanned healthcare utilization is essential to inform quality initiatives in aesthetic surgery. This study used the Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons database to charact…

[BACKGROUND] After nearly a decade of new data, the Evidence-Based Consensus Conference Statement from the American Association of Plastic Surgeons was updated for prophylactic systemic antibiotics to prevent surgical-site infections (SSI).…

Vein grafts enable soft-tissue reconstruction in cases of insufficient pedicle length, a lack of nearby recipient vessels, and a wide zone of injury caused by trauma or radiation therapy. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehe…

[BACKGROUND]  Free-flap breast reconstruction after failed implant reconstruction is associated with improved patient outcomes. How the level of satisfaction achieved compares between patients with and without previously failed implant reco…

[BACKGROUND] In recent years, indocyanine green angiography (ICG-A) has been used increasingly to assist tissue perfusion assessments during plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures, but no guidelines exist regarding its use. We sought…

[BACKGROUND] There are increasingly prevalent formal educational programs for physicians who seek to be better trained to advance their fields. Although higher education and advanced degrees are not necessarily linked to leadership, we hypo…

[BACKGROUND] Many integrated plastic surgery applicants choose to complete one or more visiting subinternships or "away rotations" at programs outside of their home institution. As these rotations are so critical on both sides of the applic…

[OBJECTIVE] Step 1 will transition to a pass/fail system in 2022. This study aimed to characterize the effects of this change on integrated plastic surgery program directors' selection criteria and assess whether Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (…

[BACKGROUND] Hospital volume has been correlated with improved outcomes in oncologic care and complex surgical procedures. The authors sought to determine the relationship between overall annual hospital volume and perioperative outcomes fo…

[BACKGROUND]  Microsurgery fellowship applicants make decisions for future training based on information obtained from colleagues, mentors, and microsurgery fellowship program Websites (MFWs). In this study, we sought to evaluate the access…

[BACKGROUND]  While bipedicled free flaps enable increased soft tissue volume and potential for contralateral symmetry in unilateral breast reconstruction, the influence of bipedicled flap reconstruction on patient-reported outcomes remains…

[BACKGROUND] Given the competition in the integrated plastic surgery Match, away rotations are ubiquitous among plastic surgery applicants to differentiate their applications. This study aimed to characterize how performing an away rotation…

The United States Medical Licensing Examination announced the changing of Step 1 score reporting from a three-digit number to pass/fail beginning on January 1, 2022. Plastic surgery residency programs have traditionally used United States M…