Don Lalonde

How long does it take phentolamine to reverse adrenaline-induced vasoconstriction in the finger and hand? A prospective, randomized, blinded study: The Dalhousie project experimental phase.

At the Dalhousie Plastic Surgery Alumni Reunion at the Atlantic Plastic Surgery meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in September 2001, 22 subjects, including 18 certified hand surgeons, were injected with 1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 adrenaline in three places in one finger of each hand. One hour later, the same sites of one hand were injected with phentolamine (1 mg in 1 mL), and the other hand was injected with saline. Subjects were blinded as to which hand received the phentolamine. It took an average of 85 min for the adrenaline-injected fingers to return to normal colour after phentolamine injection. It took an average of 320 min for the adrenaline-injected fingers to return to normal colour after saline injection (no phentolamine). We also observed that lidocaine with adrenaline provided an average of 549 min of anesthesia in nonphentolamine-injected fingers. Phentolamine consistently and reliably reversed adrenaline-induced vasoconstriction in the finger.

Minimally Invasive Anesthesia in Wide Awake Hand Surgery

Tumescent minimally invasive local anesthesia is eliminating the need for sedation and proximal nerve blocks as well as all of their risks, costs, and inconveniences. It has facilitated advances in procedures such as hand fracture reduction, tendon repair, and tendon transfer by allowing the surgeon to see cooperative patient active movement during the surgery. It has improved the patient experience for simple hand operations such as carpal tunnel release.

The Wide-Awake Approach to Dupuytren's Disease: Fasciectomy under Local Anesthetic with Epinephrine

The Wide-Awake Approach to Dupuytrens contracture involves fasciectomy under local anesthetic with epinephrine and no tourniquet. The goal of this study is to show that the Wide-Awake Approach produces equivalent outcomes to fasciectomy under general anesthetic with a tourniquet, with fewer risks to the patient. A multicenter retrospective review was conducted on 111 patients with fasciectomies under local or general anesthetic between 2001 and 2007. Data on patient demographics, comorbidities, cost, as well as range of motion was collected and evaluated using Microsoft Excel and SAS. Of 148 fingers, 102 were treated under local and 46 under general anesthetic. The average postoperative Total Active Motion (TAM) for general anesthetic patients was 199.0 ± 29.6 (D5), 223.9 ± 29.3 (D4), 234.6 ± 14.6 (D3), and 246.7 ± 14.4 (D2). The average postoperative TAM for local anesthetic patients was 168.3 ± 62.2 (D5), 195.9 ± 67.5 (D4), 173.0 ± 72.6 (D3), and 177.5 ± 31.8 (D2). There were no significant differences between any of these individual groups (p = 0.09, 0.26, 0.12, and 0.20, respectively); however, when pooled, the overall TAM was significantly greater in the general anesthesia group (222.0 ± 29.7 vs. 186.0 ± 63.0, p = 0.002.). Complication rates and types were similar with both techniques. The Wide-Awake Approach to Dupuytren’s contracture avoids general anesthetic risks and has cost benefits to healthcare providers. Although it yields similar range of motion outcomes to fasciectomy performed under general anesthesia, total active motion may be better with fasciectomy done under general anesthesia.

Upper and Lower Eyelid Reconstruction

Learning Objectives: After reading this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Learn an anatomical basis for eyelid reconstruction. 2. Present the most common eyelid defects and reconstructive options for repair. Summary: Reconstruction of the eyelids can range from simple repair to the integration of multiple complex procedures. Knowledge of eyelid anatomy, adequate preoperative planning, and meticulous surgical technique will optimize the anatomical and functional result. The purpose of this article is to review the relevant anatomy for eyelid reconstruction, to simplify defect analysis and preoperative planning, and to provide options for reconstruction of this complex area.

Local Anesthetics: What's New in Minimal Pain Injection and Best Evidence in Pain Control.

Summary: Local anesthesia in plastic surgery is undergoing a revolution. In the last 10 years, significant improvements in technique have permitted surgeons to do more and more under pure local anesthesia to increase patient safety and convenience while maintaining total patient comfort during the injection of the local anesthesia and while the procedure is accomplished. Many procedures which used to require sedation are now being performed without it. This article explores some of the new advances in local anesthesia such as painless blunt-tipped cannula local anesthetic infiltration, decreased pain with sharp needle tip injection, and long-lasting local anesthetics with delayed release from liposomal encapsulation. This article also examines the best evidence of the last 10 years of advances of pain control with local anesthesia.

Practice profiles in breast reduction: A survey among Canadian plastic surgeons

BACKGROUND Breast reduction is an increasingly common procedure performed by Canadian plastic surgeons. Recent studies in the United States show that use of the inferior/central pedicle inverted T scar method is predominant. However, it is unknown what the practice preferences are among Canadian plastic surgeons. OBJECTIVE The goal of the present study was to assess trends in breast reduction surgery among Canadian surgeons, including patient selection criteria, surgical techniques and outcomes. METHOD Surveys were distributed to plastic surgeons at the Canadian Society for Plastic Surgery meetings in 2005 and 2006. Completed surveys were obtained from 140 respondents, and results were analyzed with Excel and SAS software. RESULTS There was a 40% response rate. The majority of surgeons (66%) used more than one technique for breast reduction. Most commonly, surgeons use the inverted T scar technique (66%) followed by vertical scar techniques (26%). The most popular vertical scar techniques included the Hall-Findlay (14%) and Lejour (13%) methods. Most surgeons (55%) reported complication rates of less than 5% and the most common complication reported was wound dehiscence. There was no difference in overall complication rates between inverted T scar and vertical scar surgeries. The majority of surgeons (98%) carried out breast reduction either exclusively as day surgery or in combination with same-day admission. Breast reduction performed as day surgery resulted in cost savings of

Erratum to: The Wide-Awake Approach to Dupuytren’s Disease: Fasciectomy under Local Anesthetic with Epinephrine

873 per patient. CONCLUSIONS Canadian plastic surgeons are performing more vertical scar breast reductions than American surgeons. However, both groups rely predominantly on inverted T scar techniques.

How Many Trigger Fingers Resolve Spontaneously Without Any Treatment

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s11552-009-9239-y.].

Finger Injection with High-Dose (1:1,000) Epinephrine: Does it Cause Finger Necrosis and Should it be Treated?

Introduction: There is very little information in the literature evaluating the natural history of adult trigger fingers and their rate of spontaneous resolution over time. Methods: A consecutive case series of patients with trigger finger was generated. For each patient, we recorded whether the patient’s disease resolved from either no treatment versus active treatment options and over what time period. Results: Three hundred forty-three patients with trigger finger were included in the study. Fifty-two percent of patients resolved without any treatment whatsoever after waiting a mean (and median) of 8 months from initial consultation. The thumb was the most frequent digit to resolve without treatment (72%). Conclusions: We found that just over half of patients with trigger fingers who are referred to our office resolve spontaneously without any intervention.