Nipple sparing mastectomy with free tissue transfer for breast reconstruction offers excellent aesthetic outcomes but poses a challenge in monitoring the buried flap. Venous anastomotic flow couplers directly monitor buried flaps without the need for monitoring skin paddles. In a two year period we used the Synovis GEM™ flow coupler on 24 DIEP flaps. In our practice, flow couplers are effective in monitoring buried free flaps for breast reconstruction. The avoidance of a second procedure to remove a skin paddle improves patient experience and nullifies the additional flow coupler cost. One patient needed return to theatre when a Doppler wire became dislodged early in the series. There were no other issues with flap monitoring and no flap failures. We offer our tips to optimise flow coupler use. Crown Copyright © 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.We report a unique case of a digital tourniquet in a patient with ichthyosis vulgaris. We have identified no previous case reports documenting the occurrence of a digital tourniquet in patients caused by this condition. Ichthyosis vulgaris is a skin condition which causes increased scaling of the skin and in this case, resulted in the formation of a tourniquet-like circumferential constriction to one of the patient's digits. © 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.In 2013 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were created and became responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services in their area. The Royal College of Surgeons and the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons created guideline for the CCGs in 2013 for the surgical treatment of prominent ears. By looking at each of the CCGs' websites, we aim to review their equity and how well they adhere to standards to determine whether there is a regional variation for funding of this procedure. We found that 47% of the CCGs will fund this procedure only on an exceptionality basis, compared to 26% who had set criteria and would allow funding if these criteria were met. There was significant variation in the age at which funding would be considered with some CCGs allowing funding from 5 years of age and others not providing it until as old as 11 years. Only 11 policies made any reference to cartilage moulding and only 3 mentioned funding to allow correct fitting of hearing aids. Unfortunately, despite recommendations from the Royal College of Surgeons and the British Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, there is still variation in funding criteria between CCGs for correction of prominent ear surgery. This may result in patients being treated differently depending on their postcode. We would urge commissioners to apply more consistent and uniform guidelines for the funding of surgical correction of prominent ears. © 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.Purpose Carpal tunnel release, one of the most commonly performed procedures in Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, is often performed under local anesthesia alone. In this patient population, there is an increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders. Our hypothesis is that there is no difference in operating time, request for sedation, or complications in the veteran population with or without a recognized psychiatric history. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed at a VA medical center from January 2013 to January 2017 by the senior surgeon (E.S.L). Patients were divided into two groups patients with no known psychiatric history (n = =33) and patients with an active psychiatric diagnosis (n = =25), including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, substance abuse, or panic disorder. Primary endpoints included operation time, time in operating room, request for sedation, and complication rates. Results Fifty-nine percent of patients successfully underwent wide-awake hand surgery, while 41% requested sedation. Patients with no known psychiatric history had a 45.5% rate of requesting sedation compared to 36% in those with a psychiatric diagnosis. No patients converted from wide-awake surgery to sedation. There was no statistically significant difference in operation time, time in the operating room, need for sedation, or complication rate between all groups. Conclusions Wide-awake hand surgery is an excellent technique that can be safely used in patients with a history of psychiatric illness. Without the need for monitored anesthesia care, the cost for carpal tunnel releases done in military medical centers could decrease dramatically. Type of Study Prognostic. Level of Evidence Level II. © 2019 The Authors.Background Breast reconstruction improves the psychological well-being of patients with breast cancer. Patients who complete nipple-areolar reconstruction are even more satisfied with their final reconstructive result. Nipple flattening is a common complication. We hypothesized that injectable soft-tissue filler can be used to augment nipple projection in patients who underwent breast reconstruction. Methods This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent breast reconstruction and desired an enhanced postoperative nipple projection. The patients underwent a single session of injection with a hyaluronic acid filler as an outpatient. The filler was injected intradermally at the base of the nipple until the desired nipple projection was obtained. Results Twelve patients and 22 breasts were included in this study. Enhanced nipple projection was observed in all cases, with an average increase of 3.0 mm in nipple height (range 2.5-4.5 mm). All injected nipples remained soft to the touch. All results were stable at a median of 7.5 months follow-up. No complications were observed. Conclusions The use of injectable fillers for enhanced nipple projection is a useful adjunct treatment in patients undergoing breast reconstruction. Advantages include the ability to obtain nipple projection in patients who opt to forgo nipple-areola reconstruction with local flaps, to augment reconstructed nipples in patients with thin mastectomy skin flaps especially following implant-based reconstruction, and to improve projection of the native nipple following nipple-sparing mastectomy. Another benefit of this adjunct treatment is that the injection is reversible. https://www.selleckchem.com/MEK.html Filler injection is a safe and simple solution to the problem of insufficient nipple projection. © 2019 The Authors.