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Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery…In Brief

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal

September 2009

When Disasters Strike, Who Should Report for Duty?

The injury and public health ramifications of recent large-scale disasters - including domestic events such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, have sparked a growing interest in disaster medicine, both nationally and globally, and experience with these events has highlighted the critical role of the surgical specialist. As is the case with general trauma, disaster management has become a multifaceted problem requiring a multi-disciplinary team approach, however according to a newly published article, plastic surgeons are not routinely included as part of the disaster management team, despite being some of the best qualified to provide treatment at both the complex and basic trauma management levels.

 According to the Dallas-based authors, plastic surgeons possess expertise in not only aesthetic surgery, but their training also encompasses traumatology and reconstruction, as well - skill sets that are often vital in contemporary disaster management. Because of this, plastic surgeons are uniquely qualified to provide immediate, specialized care for soft-tissue injuries, upper and lower extremity injuries, facial trauma, and burn management - which are some of the most common injuries seen during a catastrophic event. Additionally, the authors contend that having plastic surgeons on-site during disaster management can also offer a cost-savings, as they can provide debridement and primary closures in temporary field facilities, rather than having to wait and pay for transfers.

The paper recommends that disaster planners at local and state levels of government include plastic surgeons as part of their disaster management team, and include the specialty as they draft legislation regarding disaster preparedness. This study appears in the August 2009 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

By The Numbers:

  • Nearly 5 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed in 2008, according to ASPS statistics.