Treating skin graft donor sites: a comparative study between remnant skin use and polyurethane foam.

OBJECTIVE: Excess remnant skin is retained for use in additional grafting in case of split-thickness skin graft (STSG) failure. We hypothesise that regrafting with remnant skin offers greater efficacy and advantages in wound healing and donor site appearance. METHODS: Skin graft donor sites were assessed by comparing those regrafted with remnant skin with those treated with polyurethane foam dressing. Healing time, pain, patient satisfaction, itching sensation, skin stiffness and irregularity between regrafting and foam dressing were compared. The aesthetic satisfaction of donor site was evaluated by four board-certified plastic surgeons. The differences were tested statistically. RESULTS: A total of 39 patients received a STSG due to skin or soft tissue wounds caused by burn, trauma and cancer reconstruction. The donor site healing time was shorter with remnant skin regrafting compared with foam dressing. There was no difference with respect to donor site pain between the two treatment groups. At two weeks after skin graft, patient satisfaction was higher in those treated with remnant skin than in those treated with foam dressing. Aesthetic assessment was improved after 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: Donor site dressing using remnant skin appears to improve wound healing and enhance the aesthetic outcome of donor sites.

Unplanned change from double free flap to a chimeric anterolateral thigh flap in recurrent laryngeal cancer.

Reconstruction method choice in recurrent head and neck cancer depends on surgical history, radiation therapy dosage, conditions of recipient vessels, and general patient condition. Furthermore, when defects are multiple or three dimensional in nature, reconstruction and flap choice aimed at rebuilding the functional structure of the head and neck are difficult. We experienced successful reconstruction of recurrent laryngeal cancer requiring reconstruction of esophageal and tracheostomy stroma defects using a chimeric two-skin anterolateral thigh flap with a single pedicle.

Low-Temperature Burn on Replanted Fingers and Free Flaps in Hand.

BACKGROUND: Patients who have undergone microsurgery for reconstruction with a free flap or finger replantation are vulnerable to heat injury. Moreover, some of these injuries can occur at low temperatures. Although the temperature does not reach the threshold to cause burns in the adjacent normal tissues, burns can occur in the areas that underwent microsurgery. On the other hand, this type of burn is not completely understood and there are few reports of the clinical prognosis. METHODS: The medical records of patients who received warm therapy using an infrared heat lamp with the appropriate temperature after hand surgery from January 2009 to December 2016 were reviewed. The patients were classified into 2 groups. Group A comprised patients who underwent free flap or replantation surgery of the hand. Group B comprised patients who underwent other hand surgeries without microsurgery, such as tenorrhaphy, tenolysis, or joint surgery. Through the medical records, all patients with second- or third-degree thermal burns were selected. The relationship between the 2 types of surgery and thermal injury and the timing of the burn after microsurgery were analyzed. RESULTS: Groups A and B were composed of 370 (mean age, 48.2 years) and 7010 patients (mean age, 44.5 years), respectively. Burns requiring treatment occurred in 4 patients in group A and in 1 patient in group B. The proportion of low-temperature burns was 4 of 370 in group A and 1 of 7010 in group B. The occurrence of low-temperature burns was more associated with patients who had undergone microsurgery for a hand reconstruction with free flap or finger replantation (P < 0.05). In the patients who underwent microsurgery, all 4 patients had thermal burns within 1 year after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Low-temperature thermal burns can occur in patients who have undergone microsurgery for a hand reconstruction. This is believed to be related to a disruption of the thermoregulatory function of the skin and poor nerve regeneration, as well as more heat accumulation in the surgical area after microsurgery.

Reconstructive Trends in Post-Ablation Patients with Esophagus and Hypopharynx Defect.

The main challenge in pharyngoesophageal reconstruction is the restoration of swallow and speech functions. The aim of this paper is to review the reconstructive options and associated complications for patients with head and neck cancer. A literature review was performed for pharynoesophagus reconstruction after ablative surgery of head and neck cancer for studies published between January 1980 to July 2015 and listed in the PubMed database. Search queries were made using a combination of 'esophagus' and 'free flap', 'microsurgical', or 'free tissue transfer'. The search query resulted in 123 studies, of which 33 studies were full text publications that met inclusion criteria. Further review into the reference of these 33 studies resulted in 15 additional studies to be included. The pharyngoesophagus reconstruction should be individualized for each patient and clinical context. Fasciocutaneous free flap and pedicled flap are effective for partial phayngoesophageal defect. Fasciocutaneous free flap and jejunal free flap are effective for circumferential defect. Pedicled flaps remain a safe option in the context of high surgical risk patients, presence of fistula. Among free flaps, anterolateral thigh free flap and jejunal free flap were associated with superior outcomes, when compared with radial forearm free flap. Speech function is reported to be better for the fasciocutaneous free flap than for the jejunal free flap.