From the Editor's Desk

David E. Beck

This issue begins with a review by several members of the Ochsner Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery of the common problem of epistaxis. Another common problem is the management of pain, especially with patients at the extremes of age. One aspect of this is addressed by Dr Kaye, chairman of the LSU Department of Anesthesiology, and two anesthesiology trainees (Drs Baluch and Scott) in their review of pain management in the elderly.

Breast cancer remains a major health concern for which surgery has a prominent management role. Surgical technique has evolved, but certain aspects remain controversial. To explore one of the issues, Dr Luo and colleagues from Western Australia look at the accuracy of intraoperative subareolar frozen section in nipple-sparing mastectomies. Continuing on a cancer theme, Dr Risberg and colleagues discuss immunotoxins, which show promise as a new treatment modality for metastatic melanoma.

This is followed by Dr Sue Hake's description of the cutaneous manifestations of tuberous sclerosis.

Many of our patients undergo anesthesia as part of their medical care. Although this is relatively safe, unusual problems can occur. Dr Alan Kaye and colleagues present such a case in their article entitled “Intraoperative Pulseless Electrical Activity and Acute Cardiogenic Shock After Phenylephrine, Epinephrine, and Ketamine.” Next Dr Srinivas Vuppala, an Ochsner internist, describes an incidental finding on a chest CT scan.

Statistics are an important component of most medical studies. As part of ongoing efforts to provide educational material, Dr Winters and colleagues have written a brief review of statistics. In this day of computers, we often forget how our predecessors used simpler methods to collect data. Dr Michael C. Trotter describes one of the techniques used by one of our founders in the article entitled “Alton Ochsner's Card File: A Profile of Medical History.”

To complete the issue, we present the poem “Cancer Surgery” by Dr George Richardson, the father of an Ochsner general surgeon.

With mixed emotions, we bid farewell to Lori Monteleone who served as the managing editor of The Ochsner Journal for the past 4 years. Lori managed the day-to-day activities of the Journal and was instrumental in making it a quality production. She left to pursue other exciting opportunities, and her leadership will be missed.

The editorial board is excited to present Kathleen McFadden as the new managing editor of The Ochsner Journal. Kathleen comes to Ochsner from Boone, North Carolina, where she held positions as a public information officer and managing editor. Please help us welcome Kathleen as she settles into her duties at Ochsner.