Emergent Facial Laceration Repair Variations Between Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Emergency Medicine, and Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

Compared with other anatomic locations, facial trauma patients place heightened emphasis on factors affecting the cosmesis of the wound. Wound infection, closure technique, and surgeon experience have been correlated with patient satisfaction; however, little is known about how the provider specialty impacts patient satisfaction with emergent facial laceration repairs. This study aims to compare variations in emergent facial laceration characteristics and injury severity between provider specialties at a tertiary care center. This retrospective chart review included patients undergoing emergent facial laceration repair between January 2019 and December 2023, performed by Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS), Otolaryngology (ENT), Oral Maxillary Facial Surgery (OMFS), Ophthalmology, and Emergency Medicine (EM). A severity score was calculated based on fracture involvement, specialized structure damage, laceration length, and the need for operative intervention. Laceration length varied between specialties, with EM (2.85 cm) and Ophthalmology (2.46 cm) having the shortest average lengths, while PRS (6.36 cm), ENT (6.16 cm), and OMFS (6.02 cm) had the longest ( P <0.001). Severity scores varied between specialties, with EM (0.61) having the lowest average and PRS (2.57), ENT (2.10), and OMFS (2.28) with the highest. No significant difference was observed between severity or laceration length between surgical specialties. These results suggest facial lacerations repaired by PRS, ENT, and OMFS involve greater severity compared with EM, though there is no significant difference between the surgical specialties.