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.
Liposomal Bupivacaine in Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction
Saba Motakef MD
2015
Loma Linda University Department of Plastic Surgery
Pilot Research Grant
Breast (Cosmetic / Reconstructive), Economics/Quality/Outcomes
The objective of this project is to evaluate the role of liposomal bupivacaine in postoperative pain control following tissue expander and implant based breast reconstruction. This unique formulation of bupivacaine lends this drug a longer duration of action and reduced plasma bupivacaine concentrations compared to plain bupivacaine. This agent has been demonstrated to be safe, well tolerated, and effective in a number of different clinical contexts. However, its role has yet to be evaluated in the context of breast reconstruction. Thus, the authors propose the first, randomized, double blind, controlled clinical trial of liposomal bupivacaine for postoperative pain management following tissue expander and implant based breast reconstruction. Patients will be stratified into two study arms. Patients in the control arm will receive sham injections with 20 mL sterile saline to each breast pocket in the manner of a field block. Patients in the experimental arm will receive a field block with 20 mL of 1.3% liposomal bupivacaine to each breast pocket. Postoperatively, we will assess pain levels, opioid consumption, opioid related adverse events, length of stay, and satisfaction. Our specific aims are as follows:
1. To evaluate the effect of liposomal bupivacaine on postoperative pain levels
2. To evaluate the effect of liposomal bupivacaine on postoperative opioid consumption and opioid related adverse events
3. To evaluate the effect of liposomal bupivacaine on length of hospital stay
4. To evaluate the effect of liposomal bupivacaine on patient satisfaction with postoperative pain control
5. To evaluate the effect of liposomal bupivacaine on overall patient satisfaction
The findings from this study will allow the authors to better elucidate the role of liposomal bupivacaine in expander/implant based breast reconstruction. In doing so, they may allow the authors to identify the ideal pain regimen for these patients. This holds tremendous implications, with the potential to reduce postoperative pain, opioid consumption, opioid related adverse events, length of stay, and patient satisfaction.
Dr. Motakef is a resident physician at the Loma Linda University Department of Plastic Surgery. As an undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience at the University of California, Irvine, he studied the impact of emotions on learning and memory. Later, he contributed to studies that evaluated the role of stem cell derivatives in the treatment of spinal cord injuries in a variety of animal models. As a medical student at Albany Medical College, he focused his research in plastic surgery under the guidance of Dr. Ash Patel and was awarded the prestigious W. Brandon Macomber Award for achievement and potential in plastic surgery. He maintains a broad interest in plastic surgery, having continued his research efforts in microsurgical, craniofacial, and aesthetic plastic surgery.