In Times of War: The Otolaryngologist's Role in Wartime and Battlefield Reconstruction

Sunday, October 18, 2026

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM PT

Location: West Exhibit Hall A, Learning Zone 1

Moderator(s)

Alexandra E. Kejner, MD, FACS

Associate Professor Head&Neck Surgical Oncology, Microvascular Reconstruction
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Panelist(s)

Samip Patel, MD

Samip Patel
Mayo Clinic
Jacksonville, FL, United States
MM

Mark Mims, MD

Associate Professor
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, United States
Cecelia E. Schmalbach, MD, MSc, FACS

David Myers MD Professor & Chair, Otolaryngology-HNS
Temple University/Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

The panel will begin by reviewing historical wartime reconstruction including greats like Gillies and his compatriots during World War I. Then, this case-based panel will guide participants through reconstructive strategies for increasingly complex post-traumatic defects. Faculty will discuss the application of immediate management - including airway, stabilization, grafts, allografts, local soft-tissue flaps, regional pedicled flaps and free tissue transfer for extensive defects. Additional focus will include reconstructive considerations following facial nerve sacrifice, comparing static and dynamic options and outlining patient- and defect-specific decision-making frameworks. Emphasis will be placed on practical, real-world strategies applicable across varied practice environments.

Learning Objectives:

Evaluate the role of the otolaryngologist in war-time and trauma
Discuss airway, hemorrhage, contamination control, and temporization strategies in acute war-time trauma
Compare indications, benefits, and limitations of immediate versus delayed reconstruction and the use of locoregional flaps versus free tissue reconstruction for complex defects and assess reconstructive options