Emergency repair method and its effect in treatment of large avulsion injury of lower extremity in elderly patients / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the emergency repair method and its effect for treatment of extensive avulsion injury of the lower extremity in the elderly patients.Methods From May 2008 to February 2015,11 patients aged over 60 years sustaining large avulsion injury (across the knee or ankle joint) of the lower limb in traffic crushes were treated by emergency debridement and one-stage repair with the procedures of autologous skin replantation,arteriovenous anastomosis and vacuum sealing drainage (VSD).Two patients sustained injury to both lower limbs,and nine patients sustained a unilateral injury.Effect of wound repair was evaluated with skin flap survival area.Active and passive motility of the knee and ankle were recorded at postoperative 24 h.Results One patient with multiple fracture and extensive muscular inactivity due to severe crush injury to the lower limbs had poor blood supply after the replantation and was amputated at postoperative 24 h.The remaining ten patients with large skin avulsion showed 90％ of the avulsed skin survived after operation.At the follow-up of 3-24 months,the ten patients showed no obvious pigmentation or scar tissue,were satisfied with the function recovery in knee (106°-110° in flexion and 0°-5°in extension) and ankle joint (15°-20°in dorsiflexion and 30°-35° in plantar flexion),and could walk freely,including excellence outcomes in 3 patients and good outcomes in 6 patients.Conclusion The emergency repair methods including autologous skin replantation,arteriovenous anastomosis and VSD combined with one-stage in situ repair can attain satisfactory clinical effect.