Coverage of Deep Cutaneous Wounds Using Dermal Template in Combination with Negative-pressure Therapy and Subsequent Skin Graft.

BACKGROUND: We consider the use of dermal matrix associated with a skin graft to cover deep wounds in the extremities when tendon and bone are exposed. The objective of this article was to evaluate the efficacy of covering acute deep wounds through the use of a dermal regeneration template (Integra) associated with vacuum therapy and subsequent skin grafting. METHODS: Twenty patients were evaluated prospectively. All of them had acute (up to 3 weeks) deep wounds in the limbs. We consider a deep wound to be that with exposure of bone, tendon, or joint. RESULTS: The average area of integration of the dermal regeneration template was 86.5%. There was complete integration of the skin graft over the dermal matrix in 14 patients (70%), partial integration in 5 patients (25%), and total loss in 1 case (5%). The wound has completely closed in 95% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The use of Integra dermal template associated with negative-pressure therapy and skin grafting showed an adequate rate of resolution of deep wounds with low morbidity.

Sensory testing in patients with hemodialysis-associated carpal tunnel syndrome submitted to surgical decompression.

BACKGROUND: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common compression neuropathy of the upper limb. Close to 5% of patients with chronic renal failure who need hemodialysis present CTS. Clinical history and physical examination remain the most adequate tools for diagnosis, and there is still controversy regarding the most reliable test to complement it. Evaluation of sensory thresholds using Pressure-Specified Sensory Device (PSSD) has become an important instrumental test. METHOD: This study aimed to determine the values of pressure sensory thresholds using the PSSD before and after treatment of CTS in a special group of patients who underwent chronic hemodialysis. The PSSD incorporates a pressure transducer linked to a computer capable of measuring the cutaneous pressure thresholds referred by the patient. Two groups were compared as follows: group 1, patients with hemodialysis-related CTS; and group 2, CTS in non-hemodialysis patients. The following measurements were assessed: static one point, moving one point, static two points, and moving two points. RESULTS: There was improvement (lower thresholds) in the postoperative measurements in all parameters assessed in group 1, and improvements in all parameters except the moving one point test in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Nerve decompression, as expected, can be considered a good treatment of CTS even in more severe cases as in those patients under hemodialysis. The PSSD tests were reliable to confirm the diagnosis and thus to indicate the decompression. It is even more beneficial to provide a comparison between preoperative and postoperative data and different causes of CTS.

Negative pressure wound therapy in complex trauma of perineum.

OBJECTIVE: To review the experience (2011 and 2012) of Wound Center of Plastic Surgery Service, Clinics Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, with treatment of complex traumatic wounds in the perineal region with the association of negative pressure wound therapy followed by a surgical skin coverage procedure. METHODS: This was retrospective analysis of ten patients with complex wound in the perineum resulting from trauma assisted by the Department of Plastic Surgery in HC-USP. Negative pressure was used as an alternative for improving local conditions, seeking definitive treatment with skin grafts or flaps. RESULTS: Negative pressure was used to prepare the wound bed. In patients, the mean time of use of negative pressure system was 25.9 days, with dressing changes every 4.6 days. After negative pressure therapy, 11 local flaps were performed in nine patients, with fasciocutaneous anterolateral thigh flap used in four of these. Mean hospital stay was 58.2 days and accompaniment in Plastic Surgery was 40.5 days. CONCLUSION: The use of negative pressure therapy led to improvement of local wound conditions faster than traditional dressings, without significant complications, proving to be the current best alternative as an adjunct for the treatment of this type of injury, always followed by surgical reconstruction with grafts and flaps.

Experimental model of degloving injury in rats: effect of allopurinol and pentoxifylline in improving viability of avulsed flaps.

BACKGROUND: Degloving injuries may be a challenge when it comes to deciding the surgical approach to be used. Repositioning of the flap and suturing are faster and more straightforward, but often these procedures often lead to total or partial loss of the avulsed flap. Pharmacological agents with vascular properties that enhance the viability of the reattached flap could be beneficial to patients with degloving injuries. Experimental models with which to test this hypothesis are scarce. An experimental model reproducing a degloving injury of the hind limb of rats was developed in our department, and the effects of pentoxifylline (Ptx) and allopurinol (Alp) were assessed. METHODS: In all, 3 groups of rats were studied (25 rats each). A hind limb degloving model was used in all groups, resulting in a reverse flow flap. The flap was then repositioned and sutured. The control (Ct) group received only saline solution, the Ptx group received pentoxifylline (25 mg/kg), and the Alp group received allopurinol (45 mg/kg). The rats were observed for 7 days, after which they were killed, and the flap was removed. The total area of the avulsed flap and the necrotic area were measured. RESULTS: The median total flap area (cm) was 5.6 for the Ct group, 5.5 for the Ptx group, and 5.8 for the Alp group (P = 0.9465). Thus, the flaps were similar. The median necrotic flap area (cm) was 3.3 for the Ct group, 2.3 for the Ptx group, and 1.9 for the Alp group (P = 0.0001). There was a statistical difference between the Ct and Ptx groups and the Ct and Alp groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The areas of necrosis observed in the degloved flaps of the rats' hind limbs were smaller in the pentoxifylline and allopurinol groups. Although allopurinol seems to be more efficient, the difference was not significant.

Subatmospheric pressure therapy in the treatment of traumatic soft tissue injuries.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of subatmospheric pressure therapy in the treatment of acute traumatic injuries of the soft tissues, especially in the limbs. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-eight patients with traumatic wounds were treated by the Center for Complex Wounds in the period from January 2010 to December 2011, and submitted to subatmospheric pressure therapy (SPT). RESULTS: Of the 178 patients who underwent SPT, 129 (72.5%) were male and 49 (27.5%) were aged between 18 and 40 years. Degloving injuries to the limbs were the most common type of traumatic wounds, being responsible for the hospitalization of 83 (46.6%) patients. Mean hospital stay was 17.5 days. A total of 509 procedures were performed (average 2.9 per patient). SPT was used in 287 procedures, 209 (72.8%) on traumatic wounds and 78 (27.2%) of skin grafts. The number of exchanges of the SPT apparel per patient was 1.6 and the mean time of use, 8.5 days. CONCLUSION: SPT significantly reduced morbidity and healing time of injuries when compared with previously performed dressing treatments. The subatmospheric pressure therapy is a useful method in treating acute traumatic wounds, acting as a bridge between the emergency treatment and the final coverage of the skin lesions, being better when compared with more traditional methods of plastic surgery.

[Degloving injuries of lower extremity--proposal of a treatment protocol]. / Tratamento cirúrgico de ferimentos descolantes nos membros inferiores: proposta de protocolo de atendimento.

OBJECTIVE: Degloving injuries on the lower extremities are often serious injuries. It is difficult to decide on the most appropriate treatment, whether flap repositioning and suturing or converting the avulsed flap to split-thickness skin grafting. METHODS: This study assessed patients with degloving injuries in lower extremities, reviewing the epidemiological profile and treatment performed. It is proposed a treatment protocol for management of those lower extremity avulsion injuries. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were evaluated. The cause of trauma was running over in 11 patients (52.4%) and motorcycle accident in 10 (47.6%). All twenty-one patients had treatment with washing, debridement, resection of avulsed flap and converting the flap to split-thickness graft, in according with the following treatment protocol for management of those lower extremity avulsion injuries that came to our Emergency Unit: Patients were initially classified as unstable or stable (hemodynamically). In the unstable group (two patients),due to the patient condition, flap resection was performed and the skin kept in the tissue bank for later grafting. In the stable group (19 patients), flap viability was assessed using clinical parameters and fluorescein. If deemed viable the flap was sutured to its original position. If deemed unviable (all 19 patients), it was resected and converted to split-thickness skin and mesh grafting with vacuum-assisted device over the graft. CONCLUSION: In order to avoid flap necrosis and to add a new skin donor area is important to recognize the problem in the Emergency Room and to manage properly those injuries.

Negative pressure therapy (vacuum) for wound bed preparation among diabetic patients: case series.

CONTEXT: Complications from diabetes mellitus affecting the lower limbs occur in 40 to 70% of such patients. Neuropathy is the main cause of ulceration and may be associated with vascular impairment. The wound evolves with necrosis and infection, and if not properly treated, amputation may be the end result. Surgical treatment is preferred in complex wounds without spontaneous healing. After debridement of the necrotic tissue, the wound bed needs to be prepared to receive a transplant of either a graft or a flap. Dressings can be used to prepare the wound bed, but this usually leads to longer duration of hospitalization. Negative pressure using a vacuum system has been proposed for speeding up the treatment. This paper had the objective of analyzing the effects of this therapy on wound bed preparation among diabetic patients. CASE SERIES: Eighty-four diabetic patients with wounds in their lower limbs were studied. A commercially available vacuum system was used for all patients after adequate debridement of necrotic tissues. For 65 patients, skin grafts completed the treatment and for the other 19, skin flaps were used. Wound bed preparation was achieved over an average time of 7.51 days for 65 patients and 10 days for 12 patients, and in only one case was not achieved. CONCLUSIONS: This experience suggests that negative pressure therapy may have an important role in wound bed preparation and as part of the treatment for wounds in the lower limbs of diabetic patients.

Complex wounds.

Complex wound is the term used more recently to group those well-known difficult wounds, either chronic or acute, that challenge medical and nursing teams. They defy cure using conventional and simple "dressings" therapy and currently have a major socioeconomic impact. The purpose of this review is to bring these wounds to the attention of the health-care community, suggesting that they should be treated by multidisciplinary teams in specialized hospital centers. In most cases, surgical treatment is unavoidable, because the extent of skin and subcutaneous tissue loss requires reconstruction with grafts and flaps. New technologies, such as the negative pressure device, should be introduced. A brief review is provided of the major groups of complex wounds--diabetic wounds, pressure sores, chronic venous ulcers, post-infection soft-tissue gangrenes, and ulcers resulting from vasculitis.

The vacuum assisted closure of complex wounds: report of 3 cases.

Treatment of wounds using conventional methods is frequently limited by inadequate local wound conditions, or by a poor systemic clinical situation. Vacuum system may promote faster granulation tissue formation, remove excessive exudate, increase blood flow in the wound, and attract the borders of the wound to the center, reducing its dimension. We present 3 cases of patients with difficult wounds, due to bad local conditions, or poor clinical situation, in whom we used a vacuum system to prepare the wound for the surgical closure. One patient had a pressure ulcer, another had a diabetic foot ulcer, and the third one had an open foot stump. In the 3 cases a significant improvement of the wound conditions was achieved after 7 to 8 days, allowing successful surgical treatment with flap or skin grafts.

Surgical treatment of endocrine exophthalmos by removal of orbital fat: clinical experience.

PURPOSE: To report a series of 73 patients with endocrine exophthalmos treated by removal of orbital fat using the transpalpebral approach during the period 1989 to 1999. METHODS: The operation was performed according to the technique described by Olivari. Aesthetic analysis was done preoperatively and postoperatively (more than 6 months after surgery). The number of complications was also observed. RESULTS: The average volume of resected fat was approximately 7.6 mL per orbit. No major complication was observed. In 9 patients with epiphora, all improved. One patient developed postoperative diplopia and 5 complained of temporary diplopia. Appearance improved in 62 patients (85%). CONCLUSION: Surgical removal of orbital fat associated with endocrine exophthalmos provides consistent improvement in appearance with a low rate of complications. Additional procedures may be indicated to improve the cosmetic outcome.