Medicine vs the Knife, 5 Compartment Syndrome Lessons, & Last Call for Foundations
Also: Hand compartment anatomy, the Sunday quiz, & 3 compartment syndrome reads of the week.
Also: Hand compartment anatomy, the Sunday quiz, & 3 compartment syndrome reads of the week.
Also: Medial gastrocnemius flap guide, the Sunday quiz, & 3 recommended muscle flap reads.
Also: Foundations available to purchase, the Sunday quiz, & 3 recommended chemical burn reads.
Also: Botox precision guide, injectable anatomy, & the Sunday quiz
The Plastics Wrapped 2025 explores how surgeons actually learn, task-first vs topic-first use, global patterns, and what builds real clinical confidence.
Also: Recommended reads on lymph node management, the Sunday quiz, & ALND evidence.
Also: Facial nerve palsy quiz, evidence on reanimation, & 3 recommended reads.
Also: ABCDEs of melanoma detection, Glabellar flap, & the Sunday quiz.
Also: Fresh quiz round, Wise-pattern pearls, upcoming breast surgery events.
Apert syndrome is a rare genetic disorder causing craniosynostosis, midface hypoplasia, and severe syndactyly. The Upton classification guides surgical correction of the hands, aiming to improve function by separating webspaces and lengthening the thumb. Surgical staging begins around 4 months.
Also: Upcoming craniofacial & cleft conferences, levator repair guide, & 3 recommended reads.
Also: Gastroc flap tips, lower limb trauma events, & final round of the Sunday quiz.
Also: BAPRAS Congress 2025, New journal club, & the Sunday quiz.
A lower-limb exam follows the sequence look, feel, move, and neurovascular. Inspect for deformity or wounds, palpate for tenderness and compartment tension, assess joint motion, strength, sensation, and pulses. Reassess after intervention; early pain on stretch warns of compartment syndrome.
An angiosome is a 3D block of tissue supplied by a single artery-vein pair. Understanding these vascular territories and their choke-vessel connections allows surgeons to design flaps with reliable perfusion, apply delay techniques, and plan reconstructions with reduced necrosis and morbidity.
Paronychia affects the nail folds and is often bacterial, while a felon is a deep abscess in the fingertip pulp, causing intense pain. Both require early recognition and drainage to prevent complications like osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, or fingertip sensory loss.
The thigh has three compartments (anterior, medial, posterior) and the leg has four (anterior, lateral, superficial posterior, deep posterior), each containing muscles, nerves, and vessels. Rigid fascia limits expansion, making the anterior leg most prone to compartment syndrome.
Fractures are three-dimensional injuries best described using the PLACES framework: Pattern, Location, Alignment, Closed/open status, Examination findings, and Special investigations. At least two orthogonal X-rays are required to assess fracture type, displacement, joint involvement, and severity.
Also: Video guide for finger replants, the Sunday quiz, & P'fella at BAPRAS Congress 2025!
The upper limb is divided by fascia into compartments with specific muscles, nerves, and vessels. The arm has anterior (flexor) and posterior (extensor) groups & the forearm has volar, dorsal, and lateral compartments. Rising pressure causes compartment syndrome requiring urgent fasciotomy.
Also: Huger's abdomen vascular zones, fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty markings, & Foundations sales reopen soon!
This is your chance to become a handful of people that can shape the future of plastic surgery education. We're levelling up to a faster platform, smarter tools, and a bold new vision. We want to do it with our community: transparent and collaborative.
Also: Suture sizes summarised, the Sunday quiz, & arterial anastomosis guide.
Suturing choice depends on wound type. Simple interrupted sutures give strength and versatility, mattress sutures evert edges and spread tension, and deep dermal ones relieve surface stress. Subcuticular sutures improve appearance, while vertical mattress and secure knots prevent dehiscence.