The Plastic Surgery Foundation
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Grants We Funded

Grant applicants for the 2023 cycle requested a total of nearly $4 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated nearly 140 grant applications on the following topics:

The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $1 million dollars to support nearly 30 plastic surgery research proposals.

ASPS/PSF leadership is committed to continuing to provide high levels of investigator-initiated research support to ensure that plastic surgeons have the needed research resources to be pioneers and innovators in advancing the practice of medicine.

Research Abstracts

Search The PSF database to have easy access to full-text grant abstracts from past PSF-funded research projects 2003 to present. All abstracts are the work of the Principal Investigators and were retrieved from their PSF grant applications. Several different filters may be applied to locate abstracts specific to a particular focus area or PSF funding mechanism.

A Cost Utility Analysis Comparing Lower Limb Salvage Versus Amputation for Type III Fractures

Principal Investigator
Kevin Chung MD, MS

Year
2007

Institution
University Of Michigan

Funding Mechanism
National Endowment

Focus Area
Hand or Upper Extremity

Abstract
Patients suffering from severe lower limb trauma (type III) are faced with the difficult decision of whether to have limb salvage by undergoing an extensive number of reconstructive surgical procedures and long period of immobility or early amputation to resume their rehabilitation programs. Plastic surgeons are faced with a similar dilemma of having to consider the cost of the reconstructive effort and the ultimate quality-of-life when confronted with these two treatment options. A cost-utility analysis by considering direct and indirect costs of treatment and quality-of-life after treatment using a decision analysis model is particularly suited to objectively evaluate these difficult treatment choices. We plan to assess the societal preferences from groups of informed subjects for the treatment of Type III tibial fractures by comparing amputation versus reconstruction. We will consider cost incurred by all members of society (patient, provider, insurer, etc.) to conduct a cost-utility analysis for the two treatments. In this era of cost containment and outcomes movement, a formal economic analysis is important in identifying a dominant treatment strategy to prescribe the most appropriate course of treatment for this complex problem. This economic analysis will address the immediate issues facing the clinical practice of plastic surgery by understanding the cost incurred and quality-of-life for those suffering from severe lower limb trauma. Additionally, we will determine the most optimal treatment algorithm based on modeling of various cost and outcomes variables. The data derived from this project will help patients and plastic surgeons in the critically difficult decision-making process when faced with devastating injuries of the lower limb.

Biography
First Place Clinical Research Senior Category - Dr Kevin C. Chung is a hand and upper extremity surgeon who is Professor of Surgery and an Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Michigan Medical School. He is a Director for the American Board of Plastic Surgery and serves as a board member for ASPS/PSEF. He is the Deputy Editor for the Journal of Hand Surgery and is the Section Editor on Outcomes Research for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.