Challenges and Advances in the Management of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma and Reconstruction Focus: Ballistics Injury Management (with Human Anatomical Specimens)

Challenges and Advances in the Management of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma and Reconstruction Focus: Ballistics Injury Management (with Human Anatomical Specimens) is organized by AO North America and will be held from Feb 15 - 17, 2019 at Hilton Tampa Downtown, Tampa, Florida, United States of America.

The target audience for this medical event is ttending surgeons in the fields of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Otolaryngology, Plastic and Reconstruction, Ophthalmology and Oculoplastics. Senior Residents (PGY 3 and above) and Fellows may also find this course beneficial.

Course Summary:
According to the latest data from US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are greater than 115,000 firearm injuries in the United States annually. Of these injuries, approximately 16% occur in the head/neck region in unintentional injuries/assault; and greater than 51% in attempted suicide or intentional injuries. The recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, in addition to the previously noted ongoing management of ballistic injuries in civilian hospitals, have displayed the critical need for comprehensive management protocol of maxillofacial injuries for the attending Craniomaxillofacial trauma surgeon to provide definitive treatment and reconstruction of acquired traumatic deficits.

The course will be divided in two parts; a lecture based “dry” lab, and a cadaver based intra-operative “wet” lab. The dry lab will start with a series of didactic lectures presented by distinguished, international, multidisciplinary faculty and Military AO faculty with extensive experience in the deployed warfare setting, reviewing surgical planning terminology, management of hard-tissue reconstruction, soft-tissue flap reconstructive techniques (both pedicled flaps and free vascular) and finishing with a review of cutting-edge reconstructive planning techniques for the tertiary reconstruction of individuals with Craniomaxillofacial wounds. This will be done in an interactive format whereby a sample pre-surgical plan is being generated on the main screen, and the participants will follow along in a step-by-step fashion with their individual cadaveric specimen. The faculty will circulate to give individual assistance to the participants.

After completion of the pre-surgical plan, each data set will be transferred to a corresponding wet lab work station to be used. Each lab station will include: 1) The cadaver on which the individual pre-surgical plan was performed, 2) Surgical instrumentation, and 3) appropriate plating materials to reconstruct the tissue injury. The participants will learn how to set up the plating sets on their cadaveric specimen. They will then reconstruct the hard-tissue defects with state-of-the-art techniques, and obliterate soft tissue defects with traditional soft tissue pedicled flaps; and discussion of when free-vascular flaps is indicated.

learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participants should be able to:
• Display current knowledge regarding ballistic wound surgical planning and intra-operative management in the field of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery
• Identify appropriate applications for pre-surgical planning and intra-operative management for treatment of traumatic, avulsive tissue-loss injuries
• Demonstrate the psychomotor skills necessary to perform both pre-surgical planning and intra-operative techniques including immobilization of soft tissues to adequately reconstruct avulsive soft tissue defects of the head / neck region
• Discuss the applicability of computer-aided techniques when analyzing post-operative results and outcome analysis
• Evaluate the problems, complications and intra-operative difficulties that can result from the application of these approaches

Additional details will be posted as soon as they are available.