Scholars@Duke
Kristen Marie Rezak

Kristen Marie Rezak

Associate Professor of Surgery
Surgery, Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

Paucity of Online Information About Gender-Affirming Surgery Fellowships in the United States.

Journal Article Ann Plast Surg · July 1, 2024 BACKGROUND: Despite growing demand for gender-affirming surgery (GAS), there are few formal GAS fellowships in the United States. Paucity of online information about GAS fellowships may discourage potential applicants and decrease the visibility of the fie ... Full text Link to item Cite

Defining the Incidence of the Impostor Phenomenon in Academic Plastic Surgery: A Multi-Institutional Survey Study.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · May 1, 2024 BACKGROUND: Impostor phenomenon occurs when high-achieving individuals have persistent self-doubt despite objective measures of competence and success, and has been associated with professional burnout and attenuated career advancement in medical specialti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Efficacy of Prophylactic Postoperative Antibiotics in Tissue Expander-Based Breast Reconstruction: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · March 1, 2024 BACKGROUND: Conflicting evidence exists regarding the utility of prophylactic postoperative antibiotics in tissue expander (TE)-based breast reconstruction. This study evaluated the risk of surgical-site infection between patients receiving 24 hours of per ... Full text Link to item Cite

Underrepresentation of African Americans in Plastic Surgery: Examining Demographics, Specialty Factors, and Medical School Experiences.

Journal Article J Surg Educ · December 2023 BACKGROUND: Racial representation among medical trainees translates into physicians that are able to communicate with diverse patient populations and are perceptive to health disparities. This is important within plastic surgery where an optimal physicianp ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Influence of Age on Complications After Correction of Congenital Breast Deformities: A National Analysis of the Pediatric and Adult NSQIP Data Sets.

Journal Article Aesthet Surg J · October 13, 2023 BACKGROUND: Timing of surgical intervention is controversial among patients seeking correction of congenital breast deformities. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the influence of age on 30-day complications and unplanned healthcare utilization after ... Full text Link to item Cite

Air or Saline? A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis on the Effect of Tissue Expander Fill on Complications in Immediate Breast Reconstruction.

Journal Article Ann Surg Oncol · October 2023 BACKGROUND: Tissue expander fill medium and volume have implications for the pressure exerted on mastectomy skin flaps. This study evaluated the influence of initial fill medium (air vs. saline) on complications in immediate breast reconstruction within a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Delays in gender affirming healthcare due to COVID-19 are mitigated by expansion of telemedicine.

Journal Article Am J Surg · February 2023 BACKGROUND: Gender-affirming healthcare is vital for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients, and during the pandemic, accessing healthcare became challenging. Hypothesizing that many had procedures postponed, we sought to characterize the impact of ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Textbook outcomes in DIEP flap breast reconstruction: a Delphi study to establish consensus.

Journal Article Breast Cancer Res Treat · February 2023 PURPOSE: Composite measures, like textbook outcomes, may be superior to individual metrics when assessing hospital performance and quality of care. This study utilized a Delphi process to define a textbook outcome in DIEP flap breast reconstruction. METHOD ... Full text Link to item Cite

Defining the Value of Breast Reconstruction Surgeons: Quantifying Clinical Encounter and Operative Volume at an Academic Center.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open · December 2022 UNLABELLED: Despite growing rates of postmastectomy breast reconstruction, the time contribution of breast reconstruction surgeons in comprehensive breast cancer care is often poorly accounted for by hospital and healthcare systems. This study models encou ... Full text Link to item Cite

Systematic Review and Guidelines for Perioperative Management of Pediatric Patients Undergoing Major Plastic Surgery Procedures, with a Focus on Free Tissue Transfer.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · August 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: Microsurgical free tissue transfer has been successfully implemented for various reconstructive applications in children. The goal of this study was to identify the best available evidence on perioperative management of pediatric patients under ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Which Factors Are Important to Women When Choosing a Breast Reconstruction Surgeon?

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · July 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: Women undergoing breast reconstruction often research their health care provider options. The authors studied which factors may influence how a woman selects a plastic surgeon for breast reconstruction surgery. METHODS: An online survey was dis ... Full text Link to item Cite

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Surgical Outcomes after Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction.

Journal Article J Am Coll Surg · May 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: Women of color with breast cancer are less likely to undergo post-mastectomy reconstruction compared with White women, but it is unclear whether their perioperative outcomes are worse. The goal of this study was to investigate differences in pr ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Bipedicled Total Abdominal versus Unipedicled Hemiabdominal Free Flaps for Unilateral Breast Reconstruction.

Journal Article J Reconstr Microsurg · November 2021 BACKGROUND:  While bipedicled free flaps enable increased soft tissue volume and potential for contralateral symmetry in unilateral breast reconstruction, the influence of bipedicled flap reconstruction on patient-reported outcomes remains unclear. METHODS ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Effect of Lavender Oil on Perioperative Pain, Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep after Microvascular Breast Reconstruction: A Prospective, Single-Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Journal Article J Reconstr Microsurg · July 2021 BACKGROUND:  Psychosocial distress, depression, or anxiety can occur in up to 50% of women after a breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential benefit of lavender oil as a perioperative adjunct to improve a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Implications of Training Pathways on Future Academic Plastic Surgeon Employment.

Journal Article Ann Plast Surg · December 2020 BACKGROUND: The limited supply of academic plastic surgery positions has led to increased demand and strong competition for these desired positions. Residents and students now seek out academic opportunities earlier in their training to account for this em ... Full text Link to item Cite

Early Discontinuation of Breast Free Flap Monitoring: A Strategy Driven by National Data.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · September 2020 BACKGROUND: Multiple single-institution studies have revealed that breast free flap compromise usually occurs within the first 48 postoperative hours. However, national studies analyzing the rates and timing of breast free flap compromise are lacking. This ... Full text Link to item Cite

Fat Grafting for Breast Augmentation

Chapter · July 29, 2020 The quintessential guide to state-of-the-art cosmetic breast surgery from international masters Cosmetic Breast Surgery by internationally recognized plastic surgeons Sameer Patel, C. Bob Basu, and esteemed colleagues presents the latest ... ... Cite

Breast reconstruction with superior epigastric artery perforator (SEAP) free flap: Report of two cases.

Journal Article Microsurgery · July 2020 The deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap is the gold standard for autologous breast reconstruction. When the DIEP pedicle is damaged, alternative perforator flaps are harvested from sites with less donor tissue, such as the thigh. Pedicle ... Full text Link to item Cite

Does Anticoagulation Improve Flap Outcomes in Hypercoagulable Patients? A Systematic Review.

Journal Article J Reconstr Microsurg · March 2020 BACKGROUND:  Despite improvements in microsurgical techniques, hypercoagulable patients remain a reconstructive challenge. Thrombophilias are a relatively common problem with potentially catastrophic results including free flap loss. The aim of this study ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression is associated with worse outcomes among women undergoing breast reconstruction following mastectomy.

Journal Article J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg · August 2019 BACKGROUND: The causes of depression after breast reconstruction include worse outcomes, longer recovery times, and, sometimes, additional operations. Despite a plethora of data examining the effect of depression after breast reconstruction, there is littl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Advances in Wound Management.

Journal Article J Am Acad Orthop Surg · December 1, 2018 Wound management is a notable healthcare and financial burden, accounting for >$10 billion in annual healthcare spending in the United States. A multidisciplinary approach involving orthopaedic and plastic surgeons, wound care nursing, and medical and supp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Transversalis fascia scoring: a new adjunct to anterior component separation technique

Journal Article European Journal of Plastic Surgery · June 1, 2018 Background: Abdominal wall hernia is a significant cause for reoperation following laparotomy. Anterior component separation (ACS) is a widely used technique for closure of large abdominal wall defects. We propose that adding scoring of transversalis fasci ... Full text Cite

Applying the Keystone Design Perforator Island Flap Concept in a Variety of Anatomic Locations: A Review of 60 Consecutive Cases by a Single Surgeon.

Journal Article Ann Plast Surg · July 2017 BACKGROUND: The keystone design perforator island flap has been gaining popularity for reconstruction of cutaneous defects. Published experience of this technique in North America is limited predominantly to the trunk and extremities; our study aims to dem ... Full text Link to item Cite

Use of Innovative Technologies in Pediatric Lower Extremity Reconstruction.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open · August 2016 The anterolateral thigh (ALT) free flap has proven to be a reliable option for the coverage of soft tissue defects in adults and more recently in the pediatric population. When considering the use of the ALT flap in the pediatric patient, there are few stu ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

An Evaluation of Health Literacy in Plastic Surgery Patients

Journal Article Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery · October 2015 Full text Cite

A novel nonoperative technique in the initial management and treatment of congenital microstomia.

Journal Article Cleft Palate Craniofac J · May 2012 Congenital microstomia in the newborn can result in poor functional and aesthetic outcomes. In the past, treatment options have included surgical methods such as commissurotomies and z-plasties as well as nonsurgical treatments using oral splints. In sever ... Full text Link to item Cite

Positional symptomatic occlusion of the internal carotid artery: evaluation and surgical management.

Journal Article Ann Vasc Surg · March 2008 A 42-year-old woman developed right arm and right leg weakness when turning her head to the left. A carotid angiogram, in the neutral position, demonstrated anterior deviation of the left internal carotid artery and complete occlusion of the left internal ... Full text Link to item Cite