Maintained Hand Perfusion in the Setting of Radial and Ulnar Artery Transections: A Report of 2 Cases.

CASE: Two otherwise healthy male patients presented with lacerations to the volar distal forearm. Both patients had capillary refill at the fingertips and intact Doppler signals of the palmar arch. Computed tomography angiography revealed cessation of flow in the major forearm arteries at the level of the lacerations, with distal reconstitution from the anterior interosseous artery in both cases and from a branch off the ulnar artery in 1 case. The patients underwent operative exploration, where complete transections of the radial and ulnar arteries were found and repaired. CONCLUSIONS: In patients without arterial disease, contributions from minor forearm arteries can be sufficient for hand perfusion in the setting of radial and ulnar artery transection.

Biomechanical Analysis of Zone 2 Flexor Tendon Repair With a Coupler Device Versus Locking Cruciate Core Suture.

PURPOSE: To compare flexor tendon repair strength and speed between a tendon coupler and a standard-core suture in a cadaver model. METHODS: In 5 matched-pair fresh cadaver hands, we cut the flexor digitorum profundus tendon of each finger in zone 2 and assigned 20 tendons to both the coupler and the suture groups. Coupler repair was with low-profile stainless steel staple plates in each tendon stump, bridged by polyethylene thread. Suture repair was performed using an 8-strand locking-cruciate technique with 4-0 looped, multifilament, polyamide suture. One surgeon with the Subspecialty Certificate in Surgery of the Hand performed all repairs. Via a load generator, each flexor digitorum profundus was loaded at 5 to 10 N and cycled through flexion just short of tip-to-palm and full extension at 0.2 Hz for 2,000 cycles to simulate 6 weeks of rehabilitation. We recorded repair gapping at predetermined cycle intervals. Our primary outcome was repair gapping at 2,000 cycles. Tendons that had not catastrophically failed by 2,000 cycles were loaded to failure on a servohydraulic frame at 1 mm/s. RESULTS: Tendon repair gapping was similar between coupled and sutured tendons at 2,000 cycles. Tendons repaired with the coupler had higher residual load to failure than sutured tendons. Mean coupler repair time was 4 times faster than suture repair. CONCLUSIONS: Zone 2 flexor repair with a coupler withstood simulated early active motion in fresh cadavers. Residual load to failure and repair speed were better with the coupler. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This tendon coupler may eventually be an option for strong, reproducible, rapid flexor tendon repair.

Total skin-sparing mastectomy in BRCA mutation carriers.

BACKGROUND: Total skin-sparing mastectomy (TSSM) with preservation of the nipple-areolar complex skin has become increasingly accepted as an oncologically safe procedure. Oncologic outcomes after TSSM in BRCA mutation carriers have not been well-studied. METHODS: We identified 53 BRCA-positive patients who underwent bilateral TSSM for prophylactic (26 patients) or therapeutic indications (27 patients) from 2001 to 2011. Cases were age-matched (for prophylactic cases) or age- and stage-matched (for therapeutic cases) with non-BRCA-positive patients. Outcomes included tumor involvement of resected nipple tissue, the development of new breast cancers in patients who underwent risk-reducing TSSM, and local-regional recurrence in patients who underwent therapeutic TSSM. RESULTS: Outcomes from 212 TSSM procedures in 53 cases and 53 controls were analyzed. In patients undergoing TSSM for prophylactic indications, in situ cancer was found in one (1.9 %) nipple specimen in BRCA-positive patients versus two specimens (3.8 %) in the non-BRCA-positive cohort (p = 1). At a mean follow-up of 51 months, no new cancers developed in either cohort. In patients undergoing TSSM for therapeutic indications, in situ or invasive cancer was found in zero of the nipple specimens in BRCA-positive patients versus two specimens (3.7 %) in the non-BRCA-positive cohort (p = 0.49). At a mean follow-up of 37 months, there were no local-regional recurrences in the BRCA-positive cohort and 1 (3.7 %) in the non-BRCA-positive cohort. CONCLUSIONS: TSSM is an oncologically safe procedure in BRCA-positive patients. In patients undergoing TSSM as a risk-reducing strategy, 4-year follow-up demonstrates no increased risk of developing new breast cancers; longer-term follow-up is ongoing.