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The August 30, 2018, US Food and Drug Administration advisory warned consumers to avoid eating, drinking, or handling food products prepared with liquid nitrogen (LN) (US FDA. Safety Alerts & Advisories FDA Advises Consumers to Avoid Eating, Drinking, or Handling Food Products Prepared with Liquid Nitrogen at the Point of Sale. US Food and Drug Administration). We report on the case of a pediatric patient sustaining gastric perforation after ingestion of LN applied to food at the point of sale in the United States. “Dragon’s Breath” is a popular snack of cereal puffs coated in LN giving the allusion of breathing smoke on ingestion. Instructions provided by vendors include avoidance of touching or drinking the liquid in the bottom of the cup. We report on a case of a 9-year-old girl presenting with peritonitis and gross pneumoperitoneum after consumption of Dragon’s Breath with injury conferred secondary to LN ingestion. Intraoperative finding of a large perforation along the lesser curvature of the stomach was repaired primarily with an omental overlay. Her postoperative course was complicated by pneumonia and a surgical site infection. She was discharged 13 days after admission. A review of the literature of previous case reports of LN ingestion by intentional or accidental means is provided. This case report and review of the literature bring awareness of the dangers posed to pediatric patients exposed to LN applied at the point of sale.Plastic surgeons have the unique perspective of working with all types of patients and care teams from almost all specialties in surgery and medicine, which creates unique challenges in times of distress. As the initial epicenter of coronavirus disease 2019 cases in the United States, the University of Washington program was required to rapidly develop strategies to deal with the escalating crisis. All aspects of the program were affected, including the need to triage the urgency of plastic surgery care, safe staffing of plastic surgery teams, and the role of plastic surgery in the greater hospital community. In addition, as a residency training program, limiting the impact of resident education and maintaining a sense of community and connection among members of the program developed into important considerations. The authors hope that the narrative of their experience will provide insight into the decisions made in the University of Washington health care system but also remind others that they are not alone in dealing with the challenges of this pandemic.The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has confronted the U.S. health care system with unprecedented challenges amidst a tenuous economic environment. As inpatient hospitals across the country prepare for an overwhelming influx of highly contagious COVID-19 cases, many nonemergent procedures have been cancelled or indefinitely postponed without guidance regarding eventual safe accommodation of these procedures in the future. Given the potentially prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care use, it is imperative for plastic surgeons to collaborate with other medical and surgical specialties to develop surge capacity protocols that allow continuation of safe, high-quality, nonemergent procedures. The purpose of this article is to provide necessary and timely public health information relevant to plastic surgery and also share a conceptual framework to guide surge capacity protocols for nonemergent surgery.

The gender disparity between the number of female and male chairs and program directors has been previously established. The aim of this study was to determine whether any differences in objective credentials existed between male and female plastic surgery department chairs/division chiefs and program directors.

Information about each plastic surgery program director and chair/chief was extracted from the websites of all institutions affiliated with a plastic surgery residency program. For each individual, information about the length of their career, number of fellowships completed, and number of publications was recorded. The two-tailed t test was used to compare differences between male and female chairs and program directors.

A total of 99 chairs were recorded, of which nine (9.1 percent) were female. Of the 99 program directors, 13 (13.1 percent) were female. There was no difference in the number of years in practice or number of fellowships between men and women for either position. On average, male chairs had significantly fewer publications than female chairs (71.9 versus 128; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the number of publications between male and female program directors. Compared to program directors, chairs had significantly more years in practice and numbers of publications, which held true for both men and women.

Women are not only underrepresented in the department chair and program director positions, but also possess higher qualifications that may reflect differences in standards for promotion and appointment. selleck compound Additional research is needed to elucidate the reasons behind the observed differences in qualifications.

Women are not only underrepresented in the department chair and program director positions, but also possess higher qualifications that may reflect differences in standards for promotion and appointment. Additional research is needed to elucidate the reasons behind the observed differences in qualifications.Plastic surgery patients span the nutritional spectrum from generally healthy, nutritionally competent patients to inherently catabolic, nutritionally deficient, and chronic wound patients. Therefore, plastic and reconstructive surgery affords the opportunity to investigate the impact of nutrition across a heterogeneous patient population following a wide variety of procedures. Although patients may be nutritionally deficient in certain vitamins warranting perioperative repletion, other supplements have the potential to benefit all patients, regardless of nutritional status. Despite these putative benefits, there is a dearth of information regarding nutritional optimization, with the limited, available literature focusing mostly on herbal supplements and their potential side effects. A significant barrier to supplement use is the lack of education and available supporting information regarding the indications, contraindications, and physiology of these adjuncts. The goal of this article is to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based review of available nutritional supplements that can be considered for the plastic surgery patient in the perioperative period to optimize surgical outcomes while minimizing risk.