plasticsurgeryblog

Dog Bite Awareness

When I was at Bellevue Hospital training in plastic surgery, I saw a number of severe dog bites. The most memorable was a 9 year old boy who was playing with a neighbor's pet - a dog very familiar to the child from extensive previous contact. Without provocation, the dog (a german shep) attacked the boy, resulting in severe facial lacerations and multiple facial fractures. The teeth actually crushed the bones of the midface. This led me to study dog bites in New York, which I discovered were events that all physicians are supposed to report to the Dept of Health. We are now entering the time of year when dog bites are most common, according to the study data. Children are the most common victims, and the face and extremities are the most common sites of injury. Certain breeds are frequent offenders, even when properly raised and known to the victim. A reporter from the New York Post called me about the article yesterday, so it has been on my mind. I hope that some more publicity stimulates public support for: breed-specific legislation, leash laws, criminal prosecution for violations that result in injury, as well as more public education initiatives about precautions and proper breeding. I'm considering posting some photos of dog bite injuries in the next few days.

Wall Street Journal Perpetuates Lymphedema Myths

In an astonishingly misinformed article appearing in the June 1, 2004 issue of the Wall Street Journal entitled "Cancer Patients at Risk for Malady", reporter Tara Parker-Pope puts lymphedema patients at high risk for quackery. She reports that "even minor overuse of a limb can trigger extreme swelling" in patients who have undergone cancer treatment such as radiation or surgery. Nothing could be further from the truth. Movement of the limb causes muscular action which is vital in minimizing fluid buildup. After surgery and radiation, the worst possible advice for a patient is to minimize use of the arm or affected extremity - what the patient needs is to use the extremity normally to recover maximum function and reduce the stiffness and weakness that typically accompany such treatment. The WSJ article continues "working too long at the computer can trigger the swelling" - again, FALSE. Proper treatment should rather focus on leading a normal life and using the extremity as normally as possible, even in exercise. Compression garments and various physical therapy treatments are the mainstays of treatment. Surgery is indicated in a select group of patients. As a physician who treats lymphedema, I am always looking for increased attention to be focused on lymphedema - but a journalistic misadventure like the WSJ article is worse than no publicity at all. It makes me wonder about the quality of research that goes into maintstream media stories.

Welcome Blog World!

Hello and welcome internet world to the brand new plastic surgery blog - a forum for discussion and news and views on recent advances and events in plastic surgery. We invite your comments and questions!