The open TAP block provided more effective analgesia than a standard nerve block in the observation period after abdominoplasty with or without flank liposuction. Larger studies are needed to confirm the results.

No abstract

The malar fat pad suspension technique is a safe and effective method for rejuvenation of the aging midface. When combined with the SMAS-platysma rotation flap face-lift as a multi-vector technique, most of the changes that occur with aging are addressed and corrected in an anatomic fashion, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing result. Careful attention to the tension and position of the suspension suture enhances the improvement of the infraorbital flattening as well as correcting the excessive prominence of the nasolabial fold.

While most surgeons are well aware of outcomes studies and quality assessment based on technical quality (TQ) measurements, there has been little attention given in the plastic surgery literature to the discussion of functional quality (FQ)-the process by which a health care service is delivered, as opposed to the actual procedure itself. Most patients judge the quality of their hospital experience based on FQ issues. They use their assessment of FQ to secondarily infer a judgment of the TQ level of a surgeon or facility. Surgeons, conversely, typically rate their own success with purely technical quality measures, paying little attention to FQ. This article reviews the relevant service-quality medical literature and introduces plastic surgeons to the importance of differentiating between TQ and FQ. Important FQ assessment techniques are reviewed. Implications for the plastic surgeon are discussed.