Stunning upset in Reconstructive Bowl
In a battle of experience versus exuberance, the third annual ASPS Reconstructive Bowl – a cut-throat competition that drew more than 200 spectators on Sept. 26 during Plastic Surgery 11 THE Meeting in Denver – saw youth prevail as the "Mentees" topped the "Mentors" by a score of 1,050 to 950.
Officiated by Keith Brandt, MD, William G. Hamm Professor and Program Director, Washington University, St. Louis, the contest provided an entertaining combination of challenging cases, MOC questions – and plenty of trash talk during the event, which required each team to provide a solution to complicated or obscure reconstructive surgical cases. Their recommendations would then be submitted (along with other alternatives) to the audience for a vote to determine the best answer. Each case was followed by an MOC question.
The heavily favored Mentors (pictured, top row, from left) – Michael Neumeister, MD, Springfield, Ill.; Paul Cederna, MD, Ann Arbor, Mich.; David Chang, MD, San Francisco; and Joseph Disa, MD, New York – found themselves trailing early, but they managed to take a commanding 450-point lead into the final round.
The Mentees – Lynn Jeffers, MD, Oxnard, Calif.; Valerie Lemaine, MD, Rochester, Minn.; Joan Lipa, MD, Toronto; and Brad Medling, MD, Murfreesboro, Tenn. – were able to rise above a flurry of razzing from the Mentors, however, winning the final 500-point case study to take a late 1,000 to 950 lead.
With a lone MOC question worth 50 points remaining, the venerable Mentor team had a chance to tie the match and send it into sudden-death overtime. The question:
An 18 yo 132 lb female is undergoing repair of multiple complex facial lacerations form a dog bite. Twenty ml of 1% lidocaine with epinephrine is used. Several small sequential doses of midazolam are required for sedation. After an additional 10 ml dose of midazolam the patient becomes unresponsive. The next most appropriate step is?
- Administer Flumazenil intravenously
- Administer Naloxone intravenously
- Alert the Code Blue team
- Transfer patient to the operating room and continue under a general anesthetic
A hush fell over the crowd as the Mentors contemplated the question and selected their response. As the answer was revealed, the Mentees sideline erupted - the Mentors had answered the final question incorrectly (they selected "Alert the Code Blue team"). The surging Mentees quickly provided the correct answer – administer Flumazenil intravenously – to add to their lead and claim the 2011 Reconstructive Bowl title.
For further results on the head-to-head competitions held during the Annual Meeting - including Iron Surgeon, Residents Bowl and Plastic Surgery Jeopardy - don't miss the October/November issue of PSN.
And don't forget to begin studying for the competitions at next year's Plastic Surgery THE Meeting, slated for Oct. 26-30, 2012, in New Orleans.
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