[Analysis of Efficency, Cost Structure and Revenues of ALT Free Flaps in Extremity Reconstruction]. / Analyse der Effizienz, Kostenstruktur und Erlössituation von freien ALT-Lappenplastiken zur Extremitätenrekonstruktion.

Microvascular reconstructions can be lengthy procedures lasting the entire day. As a result of unforeseeable events, the standardization of these procedures can be challenging. Moreover, the length of these procedures varies strongly, which impedes adequate scheduling and, therefore, optimal capacity utilization. Within the years 2018-2020, the duration of ALT free flap extremity reconstructions was correlated with the experience of the microsurgeon (category 1:<50 free flaps life-time experience, category 2: 50-200, category 3:>200) and comorbidities. The resulting costs were compared with the matrix of the German DRG Institute InEK. The surgical experience of the microsurgeon had a significant impact on the duration of surgery in extremity reconstruction. In due consideration of potential complications, category 2 microsurgeons were 45 minutes faster and category 3 microsurgeons were 167 minutes faster than category 1 microsurgeons. Comorbidities, by contrast, did not have a significant impact on procedure duration. Cost analysis revealed deficits for these procedures in relation to the InEK matrix. However, an additional analysis showed that the duration of surgery was within the German average while costs for personnel/OR minute were slightly below the average. According to this calculation, costs for microsurgical training were approximately 1000€/case. The reimbursement for flaps in extremity reconstruction is not entirely mapped in the German DRG system. Given the longer procedure times, microsurgical training is associated with higher costs. Defining the duration of microsurgery based on the level of expertise should result in improved adherence to schedule and more efficient utilization of the valuable operating room time.

[DRG revenues and costs of multimorbid patients in the German DRG system - Analysis of the surgical treatment of chronic wounds at a university hospital based on the example of pressure ulcers]. / DRG Erlöse und Kosten multimorbider Patienten im deutschen DRG-System ­ Analyse der operativen Behandlung chronischer Wunden an einer Universitätsklinik am Beispiel des Dekubitus.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of complex patients with chronic wounds, such as pressure ulcers, is often not adequately reimbursed in patients with need for daily intensive care due to multimorbidity and chronic co-diagnoses. The present study analyses revenues, principle cost factors as well as possible complications. METHODS: We analysed 51 patients with the DRG principle diagnosis of decubitus stage III and IV, treated in our maximum care clinic in 2014 and 2015. Duration of stay, count of surgical procedures as well as frequency and type of complication were analysed. Costs and revenues per patient were calculated and compared to the mean costs stated by the institute of revenue and costs calculations (InEK). RESULTS: In 25 of 51 cases, the costs exceeded the revenues, which was due to an excessively long stay at the hospital, complications or a large number of operative procedures. On average, the patients could not be treated cost-efficiently at our clinic. CONCLUSION: The treatment of most multimorbid patients with decubital ulcers is often not adequately reimbursable within the German DRG system. A strict treatment algorithm with a reduced number of operations and intensive patient care are helpful approaches, but may not be sufficient to reduce cost-intensive complications. It seems important to re-evaluate the current DRG codes for these cases.

Long-term results of organ procurement from burn victims.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing success of organ transplantation, many traditional contraindications to organ procurement are being reconsidered. Burn disease has constituted a traditional contraindication to solid organ procurement because of concerns that such organs may have been compromised by ischemia secondary to burn shock and contaminated by bacteremia. With the current shortage of solid organs, the transplant community continues to look for ways to increase the number of organ donors, including the use of marginal donors. METHODS: Between 1999 and 2009 we have successfully procured 14 organs from four burn patients, who had suffered concurrent anoxic brain injury. There were one male and three female patients with an average age of 43.3 years and a total burned body surface area of 32.5%. Organ transplantation was performed at an average of 4.75days after the injury. Eight kidneys, three livers, two hearts and one pancreas were procured and transplanted into 13 patients. RESULTS: We were able to follow-up on the organ recipients for an average of 80.5 months. The 5-year survival of the donated organs following transplant was 78.6% and the 5-year organ recipient survival was 92.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Organ procurement after burns is not contraindicated and transplantation can be performed with good long-term results.

Hardware Location and Clinical Outcome in Ulna Shortening Osteotomy.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of plate location during ulna shortening osteotomy on the incidence of hardware irritation and clinical outcome. METHODS: Forty patients (17 women, 23 men; mean age, 47 years) who underwent a shortening osteotomy of the ulna due to idiopathic ulna impaction syndrome were examined after a mean of 36 months. All complications and secondary procedures were extracted from the patients' records. RESULTS: The rate of hardware removal was higher in patients who had a dorsal placement of the plate in comparison with ulnar or palmar placements, although this difference was not statistically significant. Apart from hardware irritation, there were 4 nonunions, 1 secondary osteoarthritis of the distal radioulnar joint, and 1 case of chronic irritation of the dorsal branch of the ulnar nerve, which required secondary surgery. The incidence of secondary surgery other than hardware removal was not significantly related to the original location of the plate. CONCLUSIONS: Secondary surgery after ulnar shortening osteotomy is common. However, we found no difference in clinical outcomes based on plate location.

Impact of Timing of Admission and Microvascular Reconstruction on Free Flap Success Rates in Traumatic Upper Extremity Defects.

BACKGROUND: Despite a growing body of knowledge, the timing of microsurgical reconstruction for the upper extremity remains a controversial topic. Most of the available literature deals with lower extremity reconstruction and the few reports on microsurgical reconstruction of the upper extremity are mostly concerned with infection rates and rarely consider thrombosis and changes in coagulation parameters. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all free flaps performed for upper extremity reconstruction at our institution from 2000 to 2010. Only acute, isolated traumatic defects of the upper extremity requiring a free flap for reconstruction were included in this study. A review of medical records was performed to assess, among others, comorbidities, timing of reconstruction, and platelet levels. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients were included in this study, 70% of whom were male. Mean age at the time of surgery was 40.8 ± 15.4 years. Patients who were directly referred to our hospital underwent reconstruction significantly faster than those who were transferred secondarily (p = 0.0001). The number of surgical revisions as well as the flap loss rate was higher in patients undergoing reconstruction more than 1 week after trauma (p = 0.09 and 0.033, respectively). A significantly higher platelet count was seen in the patients undergoing delayed reconstruction (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: In our study, early microsurgical reconstruction of the upper extremity yielded better results in terms of lower rates of surgical revisions and flap loss. This might be partly because of a trauma-induced thrombocythemia, with a maximum level of platelets in the 2nd week post trauma. We, therefore, advocate a timely coverage of these defects along with an anticoagulatory regimen including some form of platelet inhibition.

Free tissue transfer in patients with severe peripheral arterial disease: functional outcome in reconstruction of chronic lower extremity defects.

Chronic wounds of the lower extremity are difficult to treat, especially in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This patient population frequently suffers from multiple comorbidities, which further impairs wound healing. Local flaps are often not available, or are insufficient to cover these defects, and limbs are frequently amputated, although they could possibly be salvaged by free tissue transplantation. Although there is a growing evidence that free tissue transfer may be feasible in these patients with otherwise doomed extremities, previous studies have mostly focused on short-term flap survival, but not long-term ambulatory status and independence. Therefore, we investigated the long-term results of limb salvage, ambulatory status, and social independence in patients with PAD who underwent free tissue transfer for chronic wounds of the lower extremities.In this study we retrospectively reviewed 38 patients who underwent free tissue transfer because of nontraumatic, chronic wounds of the lower extremities at our institution. All patients suffered from a nontraumatic occlusion of at least one major lower leg artery verified by angiography. After a mean time period of 34 months we assessed flap survival and limb preservation as well as pre- and postoperative ambulatory status and social independence. A subgroup of 14 patients with a "single-vessel-leg" was evaluated separately.It was observed that anterolateral thigh and latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps were most often used to cover the defects. Overall 29 out of the 38 flaps healed completely (9 flap failures) and 34 extremities were salvaged, including 12 out of 14 single-vessel-legs. One patient had to be amputated despite a vital free flap because of persistent calcaneal osteomyelitis. After failure of free tissue transfer, six extremities could still be salvaged by secondary procedures (two secondary free flaps, two local flaps, and two skin grafts). Total 22 out of 34 patients with salvaged limbs maintained or improved their ambulatory status. In the amputee group, two patients remained on their preoperative level of mobility, while two declined. All patients with amputated limbs required assistance in activities of daily living while this was only true for 4 out of the 34 remaining patients.It was concluded that free tissue transfer is a valid option for salvaging lower extremities in patients with PAD. Long-term limb salvage can be achieved in a high percentage of cases, which allows the patients to ambulate freely and remain socially independent.

Antiseptic therapy with a polylacticacid-acetic acid matrix in burns.

Bacterial colonization and infection are still the major causes of delayed healing and graft rejection following burns and they are furthermore the basis for second and third hit sepsis. Topical treatment is necessary to reduce the incidence of burn wound infection. Silver sulphadiazine (SD-Ag) is a frequently used microbicidal agent. However, this treatment causes adverse reactions and side-effects. Additionally, in recent years multiresistant bacteria, which have not been treated sufficiently, are on the rise. On the basis of experimental data and clinical application of a polylacticacid-acetic acid matrix, we performed this study to establish the effectiveness of the antiseptic therapy with the topical application of a polylacticacid-acetic acid matrix to provide an alternative method for burn treatment, using SD-Ag as a reference. Twenty patients with IIb° or III° burns from the Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit were treated within a matched pair comparative setting. One burned area was treated with SD-Ag, the other corresponding area with the polylacticacid-acetic acid matrix. All patients underwent a necrectomy 4-5 days after the trauma. The excised burned skin was sent to our microbiological laboratory to determine the different bacteria per gram in this tissue. Despite the number of 20 patients, statistical significance was not achieved, there were tendencies to a better antiseptic effectiveness of the polylacticacid-acetic acid matrix. These results suggest that the polylacticacid-acetic acid matrix should be studied in greater depth and could be used as a valid alternative for the topical treatment of burns, as it is equivalent or even more effective than SD-Ag.

Suprathel-acetic acid matrix versus acticoat and aquacel as an antiseptic dressing: an in vitro study.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of burn wounds is still a challenge regarding the management of antiseptic wound conditioning. Especially, in the United States, silver-containing dressings, such as Acticoat and Aquacel are frequently used. Because silver-containing dressings have well-known drawbacks such as an antimicrobial lack against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we sought to develop an alternative dressing method. In previous studies, we could demonstrate the excellent antiseptic properties of acetic acid against common burn unit germs, and in another study, the feasibility and suitability of a Suprathel-acetic acid matrix as an antiseptic dressing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was designed to test the in vitro antimicrobial effect of a Suprathel-acetic acid matrix versus Acticoat and Aquacel. To cover the typical bacterial spectrum of a burn unit, the following Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria strains were tested: Escherichia coli, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecalis, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. RESULTS: The tests showed an excellent bactericidal effect of the Suprathel-acetic acid matrix particularly with problematic Gram-negative bacteria such as Proteus vulgaris, P. aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. The efficiency was superior to that of Acicoat and Aquacel. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the notion, that the Suprathel-acetic acid matrix has an excellent bactericidal effect and therefore seems to be suitable as a local antiseptic agent in the treatment of burn wounds.

Pain management after lipoplasty: a study of 303 cases.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficiency of liposuction have been proven in several studies, but little attention has been paid to postoperative pain. The present study was designed to determine the demand for analgesic agents used postoperatively after liposuction. METHODS: A total of 303 patients underwent ultrasound-assisted liposuction between January 1, 1999, and February 1, 2002, in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Florence Nightingale Hospital, in Düsseldorf, Germany. The study is partly retrospective of the postoperative demand for analgesic agents. RESULTS: The study group of 244 female and 59 male patients was 42.2 +/- 13.6 years of age (range, 12 to 78 years). The average total suction volume removed was 2404.6 +/- 1704.2 cc (range, 90 to 9100 cc). Of 303 patients, 146 (48.2 percent) did not require any additional analgesic agents on the day of the operation, with 157 (51.8 percent) asking for pain relief on the operation day. On the first postoperative day, 88 (29.0 percent) of all liposuction patients asked for pain medication. That number of patients decreased to 28 (9.2 percent) on postoperative day 2, 21 (6.9 percent) on postoperative day 3, 11 (3.6 percent) on postoperative day 4, five (1.7 percent) on postoperative day 5, four (1.3 percent) on postoperative day 6, and zero on postoperative day 7. The data were further specified concerning details on analgesic agents. Of 303 patients, 146 (48.2 percent) did not require any form of pain medication. For 61 patients (20.1 percent), light analgesic agents were sufficient. Eighty-three patients (27.4 percent) asked for stronger medication, such as tramadol. Only 13 patients (4.3 percent) needed strong opioids for adequate pain management. No statistically significant difference concerning postoperative pain was observed between patients who were operated on under local anesthesia and those who received general anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: This study gives clear proof that liposuction is a relatively painless procedure, and 48.2 percent off all liposuction patients do not need any pain medication at all. If they do need analgesic agents postoperatively, in most cases, analgesic therapy is sufficient with oral pain medication such as paracetamol or tramadol. In addition, patients can be reassured that merely 1 week after the operation very few patients complain of pain, and they can return to normal life without any complications concerning pain.