Dressed for success: which dressings to use?

The are a multitude of wound dressings out there. Designed for different types of wound and anatomical location. The website dressings.org is quite a good starting point. It has data sheets for the different types of dressings including their indications and contraindications.

Bionic reconstruction of the upper limb

Newsnight on BBC2 had a feature on the work of Dr Oskar C. Aszmann this evening. The early successes of bionic arms were presented. A medical ethicist from Oxford was interviewed about the ethical challenges of this work.

Currently only non-functioning hands have been amputated. As the technology improves patients with functioning hands may request bionic arms for improved function. Paxman then interviewed a recipient. The hands are made by Touch Bionics in Scotland.

iPhone App: Leg.Fracture

Just noticed that the BAPRAS/BOA "Standards for the management of severe lower limb trauma" published in 2009 is available as an iPhone App.

It has been produced by Alex Varey, is called 'Leg.Fracture' and is available for download from iTunes.

The info presented is very limited - less than the executive summary but the images are useful.

Alternatively get the Papers2 App for the iPhone/iPad and download the short guide PDF of the guidelines. The full guide can be viewed on line here.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for cutaneous melanoma

This months New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has a clinical therapeutics article and video on sentinel-lymph-node biopsy for cutaneous melanoma. It starts with a clinical scenario before discussing SLNB in detail.

The Melanoma Study Group has a 'FOCUS on Melanoma' day on 19th October 2011. It will be held at the Royal College of Physicians, London. Check the website for further details.

Top of the TOCs for plastic surgery

There are a large number of plastic surgery related journals, most of which are listed on the Journals page. Signing up to the eTOCs is a good way to keep up-to-date with new articles.

The Twitter feeds from PRS and other journals are also worth signing up to.

Coming soon: each month I am going to select articles from the key journals that have caught my eye as a trainee. . . .

Reconstructive Surgery at the Science Museum

The lay public and media usually equate plastic and reconstructive surgery with cosmetic surgery. Most related TV shows focus on boobs and bums with a few notable exceptions.

Debate continues amongst plastic surgeons as to how the public understanding of reconstructive surgery can be improved.

Challenging the publics perception of disfigurement does seem to be making some progress. This is mainly through high profile individuals, such as Katie Piper, and related media. Recent successes in face transplantation have also generated interest.

I was pleased to come across the Science Museum 'Brought to Life' website, which explores the history of medicine. It is funded by the Wellcome Trust and uses some of their material.

Reconstructive surgery features prominently. The section gives an introduction to the history and contribution of plastic surgery. Gillies and McIndoe, as always, are given pride of place.

Talking of the Wellcome, they are currently displaying the winners of their Wellcome Image Awards 2011. I am sure an image from within the sphere of plastic and reconstructive surgery could be a winner!

Image: Indian method of nose reconstruction, illustrated in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1794. Wellcome Library, London, UK