Chair’s Comments: September 21, 2013

Dr. Christopher R. Forrest
Dr. Christopher R. Forrest

Some congratulations are due!

A huge congratulations to Dr. Joel Fish and the entire Pediatric Burn Program team at the Hospital for Sick Children for their success in becoming the first pediatric burn program in Canada to receive full accreditation by the American Burn Association.

This was a very rigorous process involving hundreds of pages of documentation and a 2-day site visit by representatives from the ABA. As a participant in the accreditation process, I can attest to the incredible team spirit that Joel has been able to develop, in addition to revolutionizing pediatric burn care at the Hospital for Sick Children.

2013-09-22 burn program team

2013-09-22 michael j miller It was a pleasure to have Dr. Michael J. Miller to give the first Professor’s Rounds lecture of the new academic year. Mike is Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Ohio State University and gave a wonderful overview on the state of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery in 2013 and how he overcame significant challenges in building a top academic unit in Columbus, Ohio. Thanks to Dr. Stefan Hofer and the Wharton Chair for supporting this visit.
2013-09-22 manuel gomez  Congratulations to Dr. Manuel Gomez (Director, St. John’s Rehab Research, Sunnybrook Research Institute) for receiving the 2013 Ontario Electrical Safety Authority’s Chief Public Safety Officer Special Recognition Award for his electrical injury research and prevention activities. This will be presented to Manuel on September 23rd, 2013 at RBC Theatre of the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga.

At the 11th International Hand and Composite Tissue Allograft Society (IHCTAS) meeting held in Wroclaw, Poland August 29 – 31, 2013, former clinical fellow, Dr. Brett McClelland (Australia) won a “Young Investigators Award” from the Transplantation Society. The title of his poster was “Proximal forearm amputation. A privileged site for transplantation?” with co-authors Zuker, McCabe, Borschel and Levin (from Penn). Former SickKids fellow, Marc Swan is seen celebrating the win with Drs. McCabe and Zuker below.

2013-09-22 IHCTAS

2013-09-22 IHCTAS 2

Both the Pediatric and Adult Craniofacial Programs in our division were well represented at the recent 15th International Congress of the International Society of Craniofacial Surgery that was held September 10-14, 2013 in Jackson Hole, WY. This meeting occurs every two years and it was a pleasure to see many of our former fellows in attendance. Below from left to right, Drs. Mike Bezhuly (Halifax), Jonathan Burge (Melbourne, Australia), Danny Peters (Ottawa), Bart Stubenitsky, (Utrecht, Netherlands), David Chong (Melbourne, Australia) and Brooke French (Denver, CO) are seen below. Former Sickkids fellows Jonathan Britto (Great Ormond Street, London) is seen considering an unwise purchase and Mark Kiehn and David Leshem (Tel Aviv) look as young as they did when they completed their fellowships almost 10 years ago.

2013-09-22 ISCS congress

2013-09-22 ISCS congress2

2013-09-22 ISCS congress3

And just in case you thought the division went to sleep during the summer months, here is a list of publications for the past couple of months (apologies for any omissions!)

A three-dimensional study of the musculotendinous and neurovascular architecture of the gracilis muscle: Application to functional muscle transfer.

Fattah AY, Ravichandiran K, Zuker RM, Agur AM.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2013 Sep;66(9):1230-7.

Vascularized composite allotransplantation: An update on medical and surgical progress and remaining challenges.

Murphy BD, Zuker RM, Borschel GH.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2013 Jul 15. doi:pii: S1748-6815(13)00390-2. 10.1016/j.bjps.2013.06.037.

The case for lower extremity allotransplantation.

Carty MJ, Zuker R, Cavadas P, Pribaz JJ, Talbot SG, Pomahac B.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Jun;131(6):1272-7.

Surface anatomy of the middle division of the facial nerve: Zuker’s point.

Dorafshar AH, Borsuk DE, Bojovic B, Brown EN, Manktelow RT, Zuker RM, Rodriguez ED, Redett RJ.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Feb;131(2):253-7.

Botulinum toxin for the treatment of motor imbalance in obstetrical brachial plexus palsy.

Arad E, Stephens D, Curtis CG, Clarke HM.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Jun;131(6):1307-15.

Subglandular breast augmentation with textured, anatomic, cohesive silicone implants: a review of 440 consecutive patients.

Lista F, Tutino R, Khan A, Ahmad J.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Aug;132(2):295-303.

Your natural breasts: a better way to augment, reconstruct, and correct using your own fat.

Gruber RP, Ahmad J.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Aug;132(2):492.

Discussion: a process for quantifying aesthetic and functional breast surgery: I. Quantifying optimal nipple position and vertical and horizontal skin excess for mastopexy and breast reduction.

Ahmad J.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Jul;132(1):74-5.

Prospective analysis of presurgical risk factors for outcomes in primary palatoplasty.

Mahoney MH, Swan MC, Fisher DM.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Jul;132(1):165-71.

Processes of Care in Autogenous Breast Reconstruction with Pedicled TRAM Flaps: Expediting Postoperative Discharge in an Ambulatory Setting.

Davidge KM, Brown M, Morgan P, Semple JL.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Sep;132(3):339e-44e. doi:

Median to radial nerve transfers for restoration of wrist, finger, and thumb extension.

Davidge KM, Yee A, Kahn LC, Mackinnon SE.
J Hand Surg Am. 2013 Sep;38(9):1812-27.

Revision carpal tunnel surgery: a 10-year review of intraoperative findings and outcomes.

Zieske L, Ebersole GC, Davidge K, Fox I, Mackinnon SE.
J Hand Surg Am. 2013 Aug;38(8):1530-9. doi:

Validity and responsiveness of the DASH questionnaire as an outcome measure following ulnar nerve transposition for cubital tunnel syndrome.

Ebersole GC, Davidge K, Damiano M, Mackinnon SE.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Jul;132(1):81e-90e.

Systematic review of economic evaluations in plastic surgery.

Ziolkowski NI, Voineskos SH, Ignacy TA, Thoma A.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Jul;132(1):191-203. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e318290f8f8.

Clinical review: Glucose control in severely burned patients – current best practice.

Jeschke MG.
Crit Care. 2013 Jul 25;17(4):232.

Mild Obesity Is Protective After Severe Burn Injury.

Jeschke MG, Finnerty CC, Emdad F, Rivero HG, Kraft R, Williams FN, Gamelli RL, Gibran NS, Klein MB, Arnoldo BD, Tompkins RG, Herndon DN.
Ann Surg. 2013 Jul 19. [Epub ahead of print]

Wound Coverage Technologies in Burn Care: Novel Techniques.

Jeschke MG, Finnerty CC, Shahrokhi S, Branski LK, Dibildox M; The ABA Organization & Delivery of Burn Care Committee.
J Burn Care Res. 2013 Jul 19. [Epub ahead of print]

Can we use C-reactive protein levels to predict severe infection or sepsis in severely burned patients?

Jeschke MG, Finnerty CC, Kulp GA, Kraft R, Herndon DN.
Int J Burns Trauma. 2013 Jul 8;3(3):137-43. Print 2013.

Fenofibrate does not affect burn-induced hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Hiyama Y, Marshall AH, Kraft R, Arno A, Jeschke MG.
J Surg Res. 2013 Jul 4. doi:pii: S0022-4804(13)00659-8. 10.1016/j.jss.2013.06.029. [Epub ahead of print]

Perturbed mononuclear phagocyte system in severely burned and septic patients.

Xiu F, Jeschke MG.
Shock. 2013 Aug;40(2):81-8. doi: 10.1097/SHK.0b013e318299f774.
PMID: 23860581 [PubMed – in process]

Norepinephrine inhibits macrophage migration by decreasing CCR2 expression.

Xiu F, Stanojcic M, Jeschke MG.
PLoS One. 2013 Jul 2;8(7):e69167. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069167. Print 2013.
PMID: 23844252 [PubMed – in process]

Fibrin biomatrix-conjugated platelet-derived growth factor AB accelerates wound healing in severe thermal injury.

Mittermayr R, Branski L, Moritz M, Jeschke MG, Herndon DN, Traber D, Schense J, Gampfer J, Goppelt A, Redl H.
J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2013 May 31

Paediatric craniofacial fibrous dysplasia: The Hospital for Sick Children experience and treatment philosophy.

Fattah A, Khechoyan D, Phillips JH, Forrest CR.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2013 Jul 2. doi:pii: S1748-6815(13)00306-9. 10.1016/j.bjps.2013.05.031. [Epub ahead of print]

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) catheters inserted under direct vision in the donor site following free DIEP and MS-TRAM breast reconstruction: a prospective cohort study of 45 patients.

Zhong T, Wong KW, Cheng H, Ojha M, Srinivas C, McCluskey SA, Clarke H, Jacks L, Hofer SO.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2013 Mar;66(3):329-36. doi:

Reconstruction of sarcoma defects following pre-operative radiation: Free tissue transfer is safe and reliable.

Townley WA, Mah E, O’Neill AC, Wunder JS, Ferguson PC, Zhong T, Hofer SO.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2013 Jul 4. doi:pii: S1748-6815(13)00366-5. 10.1016/j.bjps.2013.06.029. [Epub ahead of print]

Pre-consultation educational group intervention to improve shared decision-making in postmastectomy breast reconstruction: study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Platt J, Baxter N, Jones J, Metcalfe K, Causarano N, Hofer SO, O’Neill A, Cheng T, Starenkyj E, Zhong T.
Trials. 2013 Jul 6;14:199. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-14-199.
PMID: 23829442 [PubMed – in process]

The effect of decellularization of tracheal allografts on leukocyte infiltration and of recellularization on regulatory T cell recruitment.

Haykal S, Zhou Y, Marcus P, Salna M, Machuca T, Hofer SO, Waddell TK.
Biomaterials. 2013 Jul;34(23):5821-32. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.04.044. Epub 2013 May 8.

Improving outcomes in microsurgical breast reconstruction: lessons learnt from 406 consecutive DIEP/TRAM flaps performed by a single surgeon.

Damen TH, Morritt AN, Zhong T, Ahmad J, Hofer SO.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2013 Aug;66(8):1032-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2013.04.021. Epub 2013 May 1.
PMID: 23642795 [PubMed – in process]

Union and bone resorption of free fibular flaps in mandibular reconstruction.

Yla-Kotola TM, Bartlett E, Goldstein DP, Armstrong K, Gilbert RW, Hofer SO.
J Reconstr Microsurg. 2013 Sep;29(7):427-32. doi: 10.1055/s-0033-1343953. Epub 2013 Apr 24.
PMID: 23616254 [PubMed – in process]

Improving outcomes in microsurgical breast reconstruction: lessons learnt from 406 consecutive DIEP/TRAM flaps performed by a single surgeon.

Damen TH, Morritt AN, Zhong T, Ahmad J, Hofer SO.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2013 Aug;66(8):1032-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2013.04.021. Epub 2013 May 1.

Does the Storage Age of Transfused Blood Affect Outcome in Burn Patients?

Cartotto R, Yeo C, Camacho F, Callum J.
J Burn Care Res. 2013 Jun 24. [Epub ahead of print]

Great work everyone!

Best wishes,

signature-chris

Christopher R. Forrest, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS
Chief, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children
Medical Director, HSC Centre for Craniofacial Care and Research
Chair and Professor, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto