Abstract An animal experiment had been conducted for the purpose to find out the possibility of application of instantaneous sustained limited expansion (ISLE). A total of 54 skin defects in 9 pigs were obtained and were divided into two groups. One group of the pigs were subjected to instantaneous sustained limited expansion, the others, as the control group, just received the tension suture. At the same time the blood supply of the skin was measured by laser doppler flowmeter (LDF). It was showed that microcirculatory perfusion of the ISLE group was considerably better than that of the control. Inaddition, the correlation between the blood flow of the skin and the expanding pressure, as well as the pathologic changes of the skin were discussed.
ObjectiveTo summarize the nursing experience of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) technology for deficiency of skin and soft tissue in "4·20" earthquake damage.
MethodsWe used VAC to treat 20 patients suffering from deficiency of skin and soft tissue who were injured in "4·20" earthquake (35 wounds) from April 21st to 28th, 2013; and we observed closely the results of nursing for pain and psychological care.
ResultsA total of 35 wounds were all cleaned after 5 to 7 days; 20 wounds were healed after VAC treatment; 15 wounds recovered well by covering autogenous split-thickness skin; 20 patients had stable emotion and all left the hospital with the recovery.
ConclusionVAC for deficiency of skin and soft tissue caused by "4·20" earthquake damage may obviously decrease the time of wound healing, relieve the pain caused by changing fresh dressing, and reduce the length of stay in the hospital.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of the lower abdominal conjoined flap with bilateral superficial inferior epigastric arteries (SIEA) for repairing the large soft tissue defects on the foot and ankle. Methods The clinical data of 18 patients with large soft tissue defects on foot and ankle treated between October 2017 and January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including 12 males and 6 females; the age ranged from 25 to 62 years, with a median age of 35 years. The causes of injury included machine injury in 9 cases, traffic accident injury in 5 cases, cutting injury in 2 cases, and electric injury in 2 cases. All wounds were accompanied by exposure of blood vessels, tendons, bones, and joints. Wound located at ankle in 8 cases, dorsum of foot in 6 cases, and sole in 4 cases. In the emergency department, complete debridement (the defect area after debridement was 15 cm×10 cm to 25 cm×16 cm) and vacuum sealing drainage on the wound was performed. The time from debridement to flap repair was 3-10 days, with an average of 5 days. According to the defect location and scope, the lower abdominal conjoined flap with bilateral SIEA was prepared. The size of the flap ranged from 15 cm×10 cm to 25 cm×16 cm. The length of vascular pedicle was 4.5-7.5 cm, with an average of 6.0 cm; the thickness of the flap was 0.5-1.2 cm, with an average of 0.8 cm. The abdominal donor site was closed in one-stage. Results One flap was altered as the conjoined flap with the bilateral superficial circumflex iliac artery because of the absence of the SIEA in one side. Except for 1 case of skin flap with distal necrosis, the flap healed after two-stage skin grafting repair; the rest skin flaps survived, and the wounds of the donor and recipient sites all healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 12-28 months, with an average of 16 months. The skin flap had a satisfactory appearance and soft texture, without abnormal hair growth or obvious pigmentation. Only linear scars were left at the donor site, and no complication such as abdominal hernia occurred. The foot and ankle function was satisfactory. At last follow-up, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores were rated as excellent in 16 cases and good in 2 cases. Conclusion The lower abdominal conjoined flap with bilateral SIEA is an ideal flap for repairing large defects of foot and ankle with less morbidity scarcely, which ascribed to its ease of dissection, adjustable thinness, and concealed donor site, as well as the flexible perforator match.
ObjectiveTo explore the epidemiological characteristics and analyze the related diagnosis and treatment information of wound outpatient cases in a tertiay hospital in Leshan City.MethodsThe data of cases admitted to the wound clinic in a tertiary hospital of Leshan City between January 1st, 2017 and December 31st, 2019 were retrospectively collected. The SPSS software was used for statistical analyses in terms of basic patient information, wound type and dressing use, number of visits and expenses.ResultsA total of 10 880 cases were enrolled. The average age of the patients treated was (45.23±13.45) years old. Patients from the Central District, where the hospital was located in, accounted for the highest proportion (38.63%). The proportion of acute skin and soft tissue injuries was higher than that of chronic skin and soft tissue injuries (62.51% vs. 37.49%). According to the proportions from high to low, the top three chronic skin and soft tissue injuries were postoperative refractory wounds (19.63%), skin and soft tissue infections (3.90%), and stoma complications (3.04%), respectively. A total of 22 937 functional wound dressings were used, of which non-woven outer dressings accounted for 47.52%. Patients with acute skin and soft tissue injuries had a higher healing rate compared with those with chronic skin and soft tissue injuries (96.65% vs. 43.03%, P<0.05). The type of skin and soft tissue injuries with the most visits was cancerous wound [the median (lower quartile, upper quartile) was 68 (35, 121) visits], and the one with the least visits was acute skin and soft tissue injuries [the median (lower quartile, upper quartile) was 2 (1, 7) visits].ConclusionsAs the distance between residence and hospital grows, the number of patients decreases, suggesting that the specialized nursing assistance has achieved initial results in remote areas, but the task of assistance in surrounding areas is still heavy. The type of skin and soft tissue injuries is changing under the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery, and wound care plays an important role in the recovery of patients after surgery. The concept of wet healing and new dressings to promote wound healing are widely used, but still need to be further popularized among patients and medical staff. For chronic wounds that are more expensive to treat, it is necessary to formulate comprehensive treatment plans such as wound treatment, psychological support, and systemic nutrition to promote healing.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of free transverse gracilis myocutaneous flap for soft tissue defects of foot and ankle. Methods Between January 2017 and December 2020, 16 cases (17 feet) of soft tissue defects of foot and ankle were repaired with free transverse gracilis myocutaneous flaps. There were 10 males and 6 females, with an average age of 38 years (range, 23-60 years). There were 9 cases of left foot, 6 cases of right foot, and 1 case of bilateral feet. The causes of soft tissue defect were traffic accident injury in 3 cases, heavy object smash injury in 4 cases, machine injury in 3 cases, infection in 4 cases, electrical burn in 1 case, and synovial sarcoma after operation in 1 case. The wounds located at the distal plantar in 2 cases (2 feet), the heel and ankle in 6 cases (6 feet), the dorsum of the foot in 7 cases (8 feet), and the first metatarsophalangeal joint to the medial malleolus in 1 case (1 foot). The size of wounds ranged from 6 cm×5 cm to 18 cm×7 cm. The size of flap ranged from 11 cm×6 cm to 21 cm×9 cm. The donor site was sutured directly. Results After operation, 1 case (1 foot) of flap vascular crisis, 1 case (1 foot) of partial necrosis of the flap, and 1 case of partial dehiscence of the incision at donor site occurred, all of which healed after symptomatic treatment. The other flaps survived, and the incisions at donor and recipient sites healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 12-36 months (mean, 24 months). Except for 1 case (1 foot) of swollen flap, which underwent two-stage trimming, the other flaps had good shape and texture. All the flaps had a protective feeling. At last follow-up, Kofoed scores of foot and ankle function ranged from 73 to 98 (mean, 89.7); 13 cases were excellent, 2 cases were good, and 1 case was poor, with an excellent and good rate of 93.8%. Linear scar was formed at the donor site without adverse effect on lower limb function. ConclusionThe free transverse gracilis myocutaneous flap is an effective flap for repairing large soft tissue defects of foot and ankle due to its advantages of large excisable area, less variation of vascular anatomy, and concealment of donor site.
Lower limb alignment and soft tissue balance are important factors affecting patient satisfaction, clinical functional outcome, and prosthetic long-term survival rate after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Robot-assisted TKA (rTKA) has the advantages of achieving precise osteotomy and soft tissue balance. However, rTKA under the guidance of classic mechanical alignment principles does not significantly improve the functional outcome after operation. The new TKA alignment principles, such as kinematic alignment (KA) and functional alignment (FA), can better consider the patient’s own knee joint morphology and kinematic characteristics, which may help improve the clinical results of TKA. With the help of more objective and accurate soft tissue balance assessment tool such as pressure sensors, KA and FA have been proven to better achieve soft tissue balance. rTKA can achieve non-neutral alignment goals such as KA or FA more accurately and reproducibly. The use of these lower limb alignment and soft tissue balancing strategies will be expected to further increase the patients’ satisfaction rate after rTKA.
Objective?To investigate the effects of botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) on the excessive expansion speed and blood supply of myocutaneous flap.?Methods?Seven adult Guizhou minipigs of clean grade were included, female or male and weighing 16-20 kg. The 2.4 mL BTXA solution (96 U) was injected in cutaneous muscle (24 points) of one side as experimental group (n=7), the 2.4 mL saline in the other side as control group (n=7). Two expanders (200mL) were implanted beneath the cutaneous muscle on the bilateral flank of each pig symmertrically at 3 days after injection. One week later, the expanders were filled with saline every 4 days with an intracapsular pressure of 11.97 kPa, and accumulative total amounted to 400 mL for 3 weeks in control group and 5 weeks in experimental group. Then the expanders were taken out; the myocutaneous flaps formed and were sutured in situ. The myocutaneous flaps were cut for histological examination and capillary count. The expansion speed of the myocutaneous flap were recorded. The blood supply of the myocutaneous flap were observed by infrared thermography at 1 week after implantation expanders, before removing the expanders, and at 5 days after myocutaneous flap suture in situ.?Results?All the animals survived to the end of the experiment. The total expansion time was (54.0 ± 3.1) days in experimental group and (67.0 ± 3.9) days in control group, showing significant difference (t= —8.107, P=0.000). All myocutaneous flaps survived after being sutured in situ. Infrared thermograhy revealed that the temperature of the distal myocutaneous flap in experimental group was significantly higher than that in control group at 1 week after implantation of expanders (P lt; 0.05); at 5 days after myocutaneous flap suture in situ, the temperature of the central flap in experimental group was significantly higher than that in control group (P lt; 0.05); and there was no significant difference between 2 groups at the other time points (P gt; 0.05). The histological observation showed that the blood vessel density of the dermal layer and tissue between the capsule and the muscle layer in experimental group was significantly higher than those in control group (P lt; 0.05).?Conclusion?When excessive expansion is performed, BTXA can accelerate the expansion rate and improve the blood supply of expanded myocutaneous flaps.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the application of skin and soft tissue expansion in the treatment of deformity due to extensive severe burn injury and repair of severe deep electrical burned scalp and skull with fresh wound. METHODS: From 1988, 83 cases of application of skin and soft tissue expansion were reported. In those patients with deformity due to severe burn of large area and with whole nasal defect, soft tissue expander was used under the forehead skin graft and venter frontalis, followed by reconstruction of nose with the expanded vascularized skin flap and carved cartilago costalis as nasal frame. In patients of severe deep electrical burned scalp and skull with fresh wound, skin and soft tissue expansion were used to repair the wound simultaneously with scalp burn alopecia, anesthetics and antibiotics injected into the extracapsular space of the expander in case of pain and infection. RESULTS: All of the cases were successfully treated with little pain and minimized infection. CONCLUSION: Skin and soft tissue expansion in a safe and reliable measure in the treatment of deformity due to extensive severe burn injury and repair of severe deep electrical burned scalp and skull with fresh wound.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of early internal fixation combined with free anterolateral thigh perforator flap (ALTPF) transplantation in the treatment of open ankle fracture-dislocation. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 13 patients with open ankle fracture-dislocation who were admitted and met the inclusion criteria between January 2021 and May 2024. Among them, there were 9 males and 4 females, with the ages ranging from 23 to 61 years (mean, 45.3 years). Fracture types included 5 cases of simple medial or lateral malleolar fracture-dislocation, 7 cases of bimalleolar (medial and lateral) fracture-dislocation, and 1 case of trimalleolar fracture-dislocation. Additionally, 3 cases were complicated with bone defects (1 medial malleolus defect and 2 lateral malleolus defects). All injuries were classified as type ⅢB according to the Gustilo-Anderson classification for open fractures. The size of wound defects ranged from 7 cm×5 cm to 18 cm×12 cm. The time from injury to surgery was 2-20 hours (mean, 4 hours). All patients underwent emergency thorough debridement upon admission. The fracture-dislocation was temporarily stabilized with an external fixator, and the wound was covered with antibiotic-impregnated bone cement sheets or vacuum sealing drainage. Definitive internal fixation of the fracture and free ALTPF transplantation were performed 5-7 days after the initial emergency procedure. Postoperatively, wound healing, flap survival, and fracture union were monitored. At last follow-up, clinical outcomes were assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score. Results All 13 patients were followed up 6-24 months (mean, 8.2 months). All flaps survived completely, and all fractures achieved union, with an union time of 3-11 months (mean, 5.5 months). One patient developed a superficial infection at the wound margin, which healed after regular dressing changes and drainage. No internal fixation-related complication (e.g., deep infection, implant loosening, or secondary ankle instability) were observed. At last follow-up, the total AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score was 78.6±13.5, with 3 excellent, 7 good, 2 fair, and 1 poor cases, yielding an excellent and good rate of 76.9%. ConclusionEarly internal fixation combined with ALTPF transplantation for open ankle fracture-dislocation can shorten the treatment course and maximize the recovery of ankle joint function.
The mechanical behavior modeling of human soft biological tissues is a key issue for a large number of medical applications, such as surgery simulation, surgery planning, diagnosis, etc. To develop a biomechanical model of human soft tissues under large deformation for surgery simulation, the adaptive quasi-linear viscoelastic (AQLV) model was proposed and applied in human forearm soft tissues by indentation tests. An incremental ramp-and-hold test was carried out to calibrate the model parameters. To verify the predictive ability of the AQLV model, the incremental ramp-and-hold test, a single large amplitude ramp-and-hold test and a sinusoidal cyclic test at large strain amplitude were adopted in this study. Results showed that the AQLV model could predict the test results under the three kinds of load conditions. It is concluded that the AQLV model is feasible to describe the nonlinear viscoelastic properties of in vivo soft tissues under large deformation. It is promising that this model can be selected as one of the soft tissues models in the software design for surgery simulation or diagnosis.
