Week 8 - Pooja Nair

Name: Pooja Nair

Clinical Mentor: Dr. Jason Spector

 

This week, we had the opportunity to observe a wide variety of procedures.

The first case involved excision of a melanoma with appropriate surgical margins, with the diagnosis confirmed by immunohistochemistry following Mohs surgery. Instead of using a skin graft or local flap, the resulting nasal defect was reconstructed using DermiSphere, a dermal regeneration template that promotes tissue regeneration while avoiding donor-site morbidity.

We also followed up on the patient we had been following over the past several weeks during a complex head and neck reconstruction. The DermiSphere had successfully integrated, creating a healthy, vascularized wound bed suitable for definitive reconstruction. This time, a split-thickness skin graft harvested from the thigh was placed over the defect to provide durable wound coverage. During the same operation, the surgical team also performed a pectoralis major flap delay procedure in preparation for the patient's planned head and neck reconstruction the following week. The pectoralis muscle was surgically elevated and then reattached, stimulating increased blood flow and vascular remodeling to improve flap viability before transfer.

We also observed the closure of an esophagoplasty, where the reconstructive team completed the repair following esophageal reconstruction.

In addition to the plastic and reconstructive surgery cases performed by Dr. Jason Spector and his team, we had the opportunity to shadow a liver transplant performed by Dr. Benjamin Samstein and his team, as well as a mitral valve repair performed by Dr. Leonard Girardi and his team.

 

 

 

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the Summer Clinical Immersion Program, Dr. Jason Spector, the Laboratory for Bioregenerative Medicine and Surgery (LBMS), and the entire surgical team for providing such an exceptional learning experience.

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