The Liability of Performing Orthognathic Surgery

Study Design: This is a retrospective case series using the Thomson Reuters Westlaw Edge database, an online subscription-based database of over 40,000 state and federal records. Objective: There is growing academic interest in the medical malpractice literature. The primary objective of this study was to examine medical malpractice in orthognathic procedures in order to characterize factors that determine legal responsibility and help make the craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgeon more comfortable when treating this patient population. Methods: The database was queried for medical malpractice cases involving orthognathic surgery from 1985-2021. The characteristics of each lawsuit were identified, and descriptive statistics were reported. Results: A total of 42 CMF malpractice cases were available for review, and total of 15 cases were included in the final sample. Verdict decisions and settlements occurred between 1991 and 2012. Of the 15 cases, the highest concentration of cases occurred in California (6) and Pennsylvania (2). 53% of cases were ruled in favor of the defendant, 7% of cases were settled, 27% of cases were ruled in favor of the plaintiff against the surgeon, and 13% were ruled in favor of the plaintiff against the hospital with the surgeon being found not liable. The minimum award of damages was $29,999 and the maximum was $550,000. Conclusion: Litigation experience can be very time consuming and troublesome for medical practitioners. The risk of litigation and complications might be a prohibiting factor as to why CMF surgeons may not be preforming orthognathic surgery. The best defense against a malpractice case is to avoid one altogether. Learning from past mistakes is one way of ensuring that goal.

Editorial

Welcome to the first issue of Projections for 2021. After a brief hiatus from printing due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, we are once again publishing online and in print. (A reminder to members of the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image [SCSMI]: an online subscription to Projections is now the default inclusion for memberships; members who would prefer to receive hard copies can do so by paying a small surcharge.) I would like to thank the team at Berghahn, especially Janine Latham, for their ongoing support. Thanks too are due to associate editors Aaron Taylor and Tim Smith, along with Katalin Bálint who covered for Tim while he was on leave. Finally, I would like to extend special thanks to our referees in 2020 who willing donated their time to support us during what was a very difficult year for everyone. The names of all referees for 2020 are listed below as an acknowledgment of their service.

Pen, paper, dice…screen? Digital resistance in the Swedish tabletop role-playing game community

This article explores the digitization of Swedish pen-and-paper role-playing games through the inflamed online discussions in the role-playing community that followed in its wake; discussions that in some cases resist the very idea of Digital in an age where Digital has become synonymous with ubiquitous progress and efficiency. The case in question focuses on Riotminds, a Swedish RPG publishing company that in 2010, in one broad stroke, transformed and converged all their analogue printed products into a single, online subscription service. Drawing on a general theoretical framework of materiality and (cultural) practice, the purpose of this article is to investigate the effects of digitization by asking: What does this particular instance of technological transformation and expressions of resistance reveal about materiality and the ongoing tensions between what constitutes meaningful digital and analogue immersive experiences? The results contribute to a critical, materialist perspective on digitization that encompasses both Digital’s virtues and challenges in terms of the digital transformation of physical practices and physical space. In other words, forwarding an understanding of digitalization as an intricate aesthetic shift, where identified analog sensibilities are converted into digital sensibilities, and its consequences for creating meaningful gaming experiences on behalf of the user (or player).

Creation of a New Educational Podcast: “Headmirror’s ENT in a Nutshell”

Podcasts are online digital audio programs that are disseminated via online subscription that are easily accessible through computers or smartphones. Increasingly, residents and medical students are prioritizing podcasts for asynchronous medical education due to ease of use, convenience (eg, use while exercising or commuting), and repeatability. Some trainees have found podcasts more useful than traditional didactic lectures. Given the increasing requirements of social distancing and the need for distance medical education platforms, podcast production can serve as a useful tool to complement resident and medical student education and is a resource that will remain accessible in perpetuity. An otolaryngology specialty podcast, “Headmirror’s ENT in a Nutshell,” was created to augment asynchronous learning and address the acute need for distance learning opportunities. Over the first 7 weeks of production, 50 episodes were created. Episodes were posted on www.headmirror.com, with subscription services available through Apple Podcast, Spotify, and other platforms.

Selection and Acquisition of Electronic Resources in Academic Libraries

With information explosion, there has been a rapid increase in the number of e-resources published across the world. In addition to this, the cost of e-resources has risen steeply. This has resulted in libraries finding it difficult to acquire all the required information resources from the budget available from its parent body. The problem of libraries is compounded by the growing costs of maintaining both print and online subscription and issues related to ‘perpetual' electronic access to back files. The print industry in the world is said to be on the decline. People prefer the electronic versions of the reading materials, because they are more portable, accessible and affordable. But there are many challenges/hurdles to this path, which we have to overcome with time, effort and ingenuity. There are certain challenges relating to their selection, acquisition, maintenance and preservation, etc., which need joint efforts of library professionals and associations. Electronic publishing of scholarly journals, emerging of consortia, pricing models of the publishers give new opportunities for libraries to provide instant access to information. Consortium, formed by a group of libraries, is a unique program to facilitate electronic access to scholarly databases and journals. The beneficiaries will be faculty, researchers, students and neighbor institutes engaged in pursuing higher education. Consortia will minimize the financial burden and pave the way for an enormous amount of saving of time, money, and manpower.

Sankofa, or “Go Back and Fetch It”: Merging Genealogy and Africana Studies—An Introduction

With the overwhelming popularity of genealogy-themed television series, genetic genealogy testing, online subscription services for research, and the enduring aphorism of Sankofa, people of African descent are consistently dispelling the long-avowed assertion that the ancestry of the enslaved in the United States and their descendants is, for the most part, unknowable. [...]