An investigation into the prevalence of dog bites to primary school children in Trinidad

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To estimate the prevalence of dog bites to primary school children between the ages of 8–12 years using a semi-structured interview process. With the increase in the pet population and popularity of dangerous breeds of dog and a high stray dog population combined with a dearth of information on the risk of dog attacks to children in Trinidad, a semi-structured interview process was used to determine risk factors associated with dog attacks.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire survey of 1109 primary school children between the ages of 8–12 years was conducted in Trinidad from November 2002 to September 2003. The survey was conducted to determine the risk factors such as age, gender, size of dog and relationship of dog and victim, in dog bite incidents. The chi-square statistic and odds ratios were used to estimate risk factors for a bite incident.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-eight percent of children were bitten at least once by a dog. Gender (male) and owning a dog were statistically significant risk factors (p = 0.003 and 0.008 respectively, χ²<it>df</it>, 95% confidence). Most attacks occurred outside of the home (58.0%) followed by the victims' home (42.0%) and were by a dog known but not owned (54.6%) by the victim. Many victims (33.0%) were bitten without having any interaction with the dog and the majority (61.9%) of victims did not receive professional medical assistance. Overall, the lower leg or foot was most often injured (39.3%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A public educational campaign is needed on responsible pet ownership. In addition, children must be taught effective ways of avoiding attacks or reducing injury in the event of a dog attack. The Dangerous dogs Act 2000 must be proclaimed in parliament by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to exert more pressure on pet owners to safeguard the public from the menace of dog attacks.</p

The Desire for Body Contouring Surgery after Bariatric Surgery

Background: Obesity has become far more prevalent over the last few decades. In parallel, bariatric surgery has been increasingly utilized as a method of treatment. This appears to be having an impact on the rate of body contouring surgery for hanging redundant skin after the massive weight loss that usually results from bariatric surgery. Little literature is available addressing how frequently patients who have undergone bariatric surgery receive or desire body contouring surgery or regarding how satisfied these patients are with the hanging skin in certain body areas. Methods: Seventy individuals (out of 250 who were mailed the questionnaire) who had undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery 6–10 years previously completed a questionnaire, which obtained information regarding their experiences with as well as their desire for body contouring surgery and more general body area satisfaction. Results: Thirty three of the seventy patients reported having undergone a total of 38 body contouring procedures. The most common were abdominoplasties (24.3%), breast lifts (8.6%), and thigh lifts (7.1%). However, subjects were not uniformly satisfied with body areas that had undergone body contouring surgery; some found the areas unattractive. The majority of patients, at least to some extent, desired body contouring surgery, often in several areas, most notably the waist/abdomen, rear/buttock, upper arms, and chest/breast. Conclusion: Paralleling the increasing use of bariatric surgery is an increasing desire for body contouring surgery. Most patients desire body contouring surgery after bariatric surgery. However, third party payors usually do not reimburse for such procedures

“Inverted-Y”: A Modified Vest-Over-Pants Abdominoplasty Pattern Following Bariatric Surgery

The post-bariatric surgery patient presents several challenges to the surgeon. Correction of skin and subcutaneous redundancy can be difficult, particularly in massive-weight-loss patients with horizontal laxity, upper abdominal or flank laxity, and "double-roll" deformities. The aim of our study was to propose our modification of the "vest-over-pants" abdominoplasty technique to exploit all the advantages of the Planas technique in bariatric surgery patients and to solve the problem of extreme epigastric skin redundancy in difficult abdominal contour cases

Wound healing process in post-bariatric patients: an experimental evaluation

Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity. Despite this, side effects are recorded. One of them is redundant skin hanging from the patients' body causing both aesthetical and functional deformities. They can only be corrected with body contouring surgery, whose wound complication rate is very high in previously obese population. Despite several hypotheses, an adequate explanation is still awaited. The aim of our study was to evaluate the wound healing process in post-bariatric patients. Seven patients, six women and one man, were enrolled. They all were nonsmokers and nondiabetic. They all underwent biliopancreatic diversion (BPD). After 36&nbsp;months, abdominoplasty was performed. Biochemical parameters before and after bariatric surgery were evaluated. The content of total protein and hydroxyproline was assessed in multiple scar biopsies before and after BPD. Abdominoplasty horizontal scar skin samples were subjected to histological evaluation with Weigert-Van Gieson stain for elastic fibers and connectivum. All biochemical parameters analyzed were reduced post-BPD compared to the preoperative period. Tissue proteins were significantly reduced after BPD both in their totality and as hydroxyproline and hydroxyproline/total tissue protein. Histological evaluation revealed abnormal dermal elastic and collagen fibers. The cause of aberrant healing in massive weight loss body contouring is likely multifactorial. A relationship between nutritional state, wound collagen accumulation, and elastic fiber content seems to be only partially involved. The high mechanical stress of tissues before BPD probably influences the wound healing process after BPD