Liza C. Wu

Vacuum assisted closure for the treatment of sternal wounds: the bridge between débridement and definitive closure.

&NA; A method to refine the treatment of sternal wounds using Vacuum Assisted Closure (V.A.C.) therapy as the bridge between débridement and delayed definitive closure is described. A retrospective review of 35 consecutive patients with sternal wound complications over a 2‐year period (March of 1999 to March of 2001) was performed. The treatment of sternal wounds with traditional twice‐a‐day dressing changes was compared with the treatment with the wound V.A.C. device. An analysis of the number of days between initial débridement and closure, number of dressing changes, number and types of flaps needed for reconstruction, and complications was performed. Eighteen patients were treated with traditional twice‐a‐day dressing changes and 17 patients were treated with V.A.C. therapy alone. The two groups were similar regarding age, sex, type of cardiac procedure, and type of sternal wound. The V.A.C. therapy group had a trend toward a shorter interval between débridement and closure, with a mean of 6.2 days, whereas the dressing change group had mean of 8.5 days. The V.A.C. therapy group had a significantly lower number of dressing changes, with a mean of three, whereas the twice‐a‐day dressing change group had a mean of 17 (p < 0.05). Reconstruction required an average of 1.5 soft‐tissue flaps per patient treated with traditional dressing changes versus 0.9 soft‐tissue flaps per patient for those treated with V.A.C. therapy (p < 0.05). Before closure, there was one death among patients undergoing dressing changes and three in the V.A.C. therapy group, all of which were unrelated to the management of the sternal wound. Patients with sternal wounds who have benefited from V.A.C. therapy alone have a significant decrease in the number of dressing changes and number of soft‐tissue flaps needed for closure. Finally, the V.A.C. therapy group had a trend toward a decreased number of days between débridement and closure. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 111: 92, 2003.)

Vacuum-assisted closure for sternal wounds: a first-line therapeutic management approach.

Background: Vacuum-assisted closure therapy has gained widespread use since its introduction in 1997. Previous studies have attributed significant benefit to its use for treatment of sternal wounds with or without mediastinitis. Management of sternal wounds with this therapy has been shown to decrease the number of dressing changes, reduce the time between débridement and definitive closure, and reduce costs associated with a protracted course of in-hospital dressing changes. The therapy has been used both as a bridge between débridement and definitive closure and as a catalyst to secondary sternal-wound healing. Methods: The authors performed a retrospective review of 103 patients who underwent vacuum-assisted closure therapy after median sternotomy between June of 1999 and March of 2004 at a single institution. The wounds were classified as sterile wounds, superficial sternal infections, and mediastinitis. The wound closure device, consisting of a polyurethane sponge and evacuation tube with in-line suction, was applied sterilely to all wounds over a layer of Acticoat. Results: Vacuum-assisted closure was utilized in the treatment of sternal wounds for 103 patients (67 male patients and 36 female patients) whose mean age was 52 years (range, 3 months to 91 years). Patient comorbidities included diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end-stage renal disease, immunosuppression, and others. Sixty-four percent of the patients had a diagnosis of mediastinitis; 36 percent had either superficial infections or a sterile wound. The therapy was utilized for an average period of 11 days per patient. Sixty-eight percent of the patients (70 of 103) had definitive chest closure with open reduction internal fixation and/or flap closure. The remaining 32 percent had no definitive closure method. The overall mortality rate was 28 percent (29 of 103 patients), although no deaths were directly related to use of the therapy, and only four deaths resulted from sepsis as a consequence of mediastinitis. Conclusions: The authors report the largest series of patients treated with this therapy for post-sternotomy sternal wounds and believe it is safe and effective as a first-line therapy in the management of sternal wounds. The mortality rate from their study represents the patients underlying disease process and comorbidities and is not a reflection of complications associated with the therapy. Vacuum-assisted closure therapy has been shown to decrease wound edema, decrease the time to definitive closure, and reduce wound bacterial colony counts. The authors have implemented the therapy for most patients with sternal wounds/mediastinitis at their institution, and believe it should be a standard protocol in the first-line management of these types of wounds.

Sternal nonunion: a review of current treatments and a new method of rigid fixation.

Sternal nonunion as the result of cardiac intervention or trauma remains a morbid condition with serious sequelae. Patients often report pain with breathing, coughing, and/or movement. The authors present 6 patients that were diagnosed with sterile sternal nonunion after cardiac procedure (4) or trauma (2). The cardiac patients presented 5, 7, 15, and 60 months after their cardiac procedure; the trauma patients presented 8 and 12 months after the accident. Diagnosis was made based on the clinical triad of sternal instability, pain, and absence of infection. Management with open reduction and internal rigid plate fixation with Sternalock plates (W. Lorenz Surgical, Inc., Jacksonville, FL) was performed on all 6 patients. There was no incidence of subsequent infection. Pain completely resolved in all patients. All wounds healed to completion, and bone healing was assessed clinically with the absence of instability and pain and follow-up chest radiographs.

Glabrous dermal grafting: a 12-year experience with the functional and aesthetic restoration of palmar and plantar skin defects.

Background: Glabrous skin on the palmar aspect of the hands and the plantar aspect of the feet has special attributes. These attributes define the skin on the palm, fingers, and sole as functionally and aesthetically different from skin on other parts of the body. When there is a glabrous skin defect, it should be replaced with similar skin to restore function and aesthetics. The authors report their 12-year experience with the technique of glabrous dermal grafting for the reconstruction of palmar and plantar skin defects. Methods: From 1992 to 2004, 13 patients with 14 defects underwent glabrous dermal grafting of either palmar or plantar defects. Defects included nine hand and five foot defects. Causes included nine acute burns, one secondary burn reconstruction, two delayed reconstructions of traumatic injuries, one congenital nevus, and one malignant melanoma. Donor sites included 12 glabrous dermal grafts from the foot and two from the hand. Results: Follow-up ranged from 1 month to 65 months. All glabrous dermal grafts demonstrated complete epithelialization and no incidence of complete loss. There was return of sensation without hyperkeratosis or breakdown. The grafts demonstrated good color match with the surrounding skin. The donor site healed without complications, and there were no incidences of significant hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation, or hypertrophic scarring. Conclusion: Glabrous dermal grafting of palmar and plantar defects is the ideal way of reconstructing glabrous skin to restore both function and aesthetics and minimize donor-site morbidity.

Proximal vascular pedicle preservation for sartorius muscle flap transposition.

Background: A variety of muscle flaps have been described to treat complex groin wounds associated with infected and/or exposed femoral vessels or vascular grafts and persistent lymphatic leaks, and for prophylaxis against wound breakdown following inguinal lymphadenectomy. The sartorius muscle flap has several advantages over other muscle flaps: it is immediately adjacent to the groin, it is easy to prepare, and the harvest causes no functional morbidity. Despite these advantages, the flap’s reliability has been questioned because of the segmental blood supply to the muscle and the flap’s limited arc of rotation. To improve the reliability of the flap, the authors defined the proximal vascular anatomy of the sartorius muscle in 20 human cadavers and assessed the correlation with 20 clinical cases. They describe a technique for the harvest of the sartorius muscle transposition flap that preserves the most proximal pedicle. Methods: From July of 2000 to January of 2004, 40 sartorius muscles were dissected in 20 human preserved cadavers. During the same time period, 21 sartorius muscle transposition flap procedures were performed in 19 patients for a variety of complex groin wound complications, including infection (n = 10), lymphadenectomy (n = 4), lymphatic leak (n = 3), exposed femoral vessels (n = 3), and high-risk wound (n = 1). The location of the most proximal vascular pedicle with respect to the anterior superior iliac spine was measured in each cadaveric dissection as well as in each clinical case. Outcomes were assessed in the clinical cases with respect to wound healing. Results: The distance between the anterior superior iliac spine and the proximal vessels in the cadaver specimens was 6.6 ± 1.3 cm (range, 5.0 to 9.5 cm). The distance between the anterior superior iliac spine and the proximal vessels in the clinical patients was 6.2 ± 0.6 cm (range, 5.5 to 7.5 cm). Patients were followed for an average period of 30 months (range, 5 to 45 months). There were no incidences of partial or total flap necrosis. All wounds healed to completion. Conclusions: The proximal pedicle of the sartorius muscle is consistently located at 6.5 cm from the anterior superior iliac spine. Preservation of the proximal pedicle during dissection ensures the viability of the sartorius muscle transposition flap for the treatment of complex groin wounds.

Supercharging the Transverse Rectus Abdominis Musculocutaneous Flap : Breast Reconstruction for the Overweight and Obese Population

Background:Autologous breast reconstruction with the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap is traditionally based on either the superior epigastric vessels (pedicled) or the deep inferior system (free). In the overweight and obese population, both techniques have been shown to have increased complications of the reconstructed breast. Another alternative is supercharging the flap by anastamosing the deep inferior epigastric vessels to either the internal mammary or thoracodorsal systems. We present a single surgeons experience with unilateral TRAM reconstructions supercharged to either the thoracodorsal vessels, the internal mammary system, or in one case, perforator vessels in overweight and obese patients. Methods:Nineteen consecutive overweight or obese patients underwent delayed or immediate, unilateral autologous breast reconstruction with supercharged TRAM flaps between November 2000 and November 2004. The patients ranged in age from 28 to 66 years (average 49) and had an average body mass index (BMI) of 29.5 (24.9–38.3). Twelve patients had a BMI between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2; 7 patients had BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Left-sided reconstructions were 13; right-sided reconstructions were 6. Supercharging was performed by anastamosing the deep inferior epigastric artery and vein to the thoracodorsal vessels, internal mammary vessels, or perforator vessels. Results:Follow-up ranged from 6 to 54 months. There was a qualitative increase in blood flow measured by audible Doppler signals in all patients after the arterial and venous anastamoses. There were no cases of partial or complete flap loss. One patient had a hematoma and subsequently developed minor fat necrosis. One patient had an infection of the reconstructed breast. There were no donor site complications. Conclusion:Supercharging the TRAM flap by means of microvascular augmentation of the deep inferior epigastric vessels provides a safe and effective breast reconstruction in the overweight and obese population with no additional morbidity.

The rectus abdominis musculoperitoneal flap for the immediate reconstruction of partial vaginal defects

Partial defects of the vagina, after tumor ablative surgery or fistula repair, are often closed primarily with or without the juxtaposition of vascularized tissue. Primary closure of these wounds can often be achieved without complications; however, the ability to participate in sexual intercourse can be hindered because of constriction of the vaginal canal.1,2 Dyspareunia and sexual dysfunction can result and in turn lead to significant distress and delayed psychosocial healing and rehabilitation. Various surgical techniques have been described for the reconstruction of vaginal defects including skin, mucosa, and peritoneal grafts and flaps, myocutaneous flaps, and bowel. Each of these methods, however, is limited in the ability to imitate the macroenvironment and microenvironment of the vagina. The ideal reconstruction should restore normal dimensions, appearance, and function of the vaginal canal with minimal donor-site morbidity. A thin, pliable, and vascularized musculoperitoneal flap based upon the deep inferior epigastric vessels has been previously described for the reconstruction of both bladder and vaginal defects.3–11 Several injection studies in cadavers have delineated the vascular anatomy and supported the reliability of the flap.5,7,10 Histological studies have suggested that the peritoneum has potential for metaplasia to squamous epithelium of the vagina.4–6,10 The rectus abdominis musculoperitoneal seems to be the ideal tissue flap for vaginal reconstruction and, furthermore, the better option for partial vaginal defects in a select population of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS