Coverage of a Firecracker Blast Injury of the Right Hand With a Chest Wall Flap Under Wide Awake Local Anaesthesia no Tourniquet Technique.

ABSTRACT

A flap is done to cover expose structures such as bone, tendon and ligament. Chest wall flaps are usually performed under general anaesthesia due to a fairly large area of surgery and at two different sites which are the chest and the hand. This is the first known reported case of a chest wall flap for coverage of the hand under Wide awake local anaesthesia no tourniquet technique (WALANT). We here report the case of a 32-year-old man who had a firecracker injury over his right hand with bone exposed in his right index and middle finger and distal amputation of the thumb with first carpometacarpal joint dislocation. Chest wall flap reconstruction for coverage of a severe blast injury in the hand is possible and safe under WALANT. The proper technique and administration will lead to a successful surgery without general anesthesia complications and risks. This alternative option may be useful in districts or smaller hospitals where resources are limited.