Machine Perfusion Enables 24-h Preservation of Vascularized Composite Allografts in a Swine Model of Allotransplantation.

The current gold standard for preserving vascularized composite allografts (VCA) is 4°C static cold storage (SCS), albeit muscle vulnerability to ischemia can be described as early as after 2 h of SCS. Alternatively, machine perfusion (MP) is growing in the world of organ preservation. Herein, we investigated the outcomes of oxygenated acellular subnormothermic machine perfusion (SNMP) for 24-h VCA preservation before allotransplantation in a swine model. Six partial hindlimbs were procured on adult pigs and preserved ex vivo for 24 h with either SNMP (n = 3) or SCS (n = 3) before heterotopic allotransplantation. Recipient animals received immunosuppression and were followed up for 14 days. Clinical monitoring was carried out twice daily, and graft biopsies and blood samples were regularly collected. Two blinded pathologists assessed skin and muscle samples. Overall survival was higher in the SNMP group. Early euthanasia of 2 animals in the SCS group was linked to significant graft degeneration. Analyses of the grafts showed massive muscle degeneration in the SCS group and a normal aspect in the SNMP group 2 weeks after allotransplantation. Therefore, this 24-h SNMP protocol using a modified Steen solution generated better clinical and histological outcomes in allotransplantation when compared to time-matched SCS.

[Extensive transfixing skin necrosis after breast biopsy under local anesthesia: About four cases]. / Nécrose cutanée étendue transfixiante après biopsie mammaire sous anesthésie locale : rapport de quatre cas.

INTRODUCTION: Local anesthetics with adrenaline are widely used in routine practice and have long proven their benefits and safety. The rare complications due to their use mainly concern immuno-allergic and vascular mechanisms. DESCRIPTION: In this article, we present four similar cases of early transfixing skin necrosis occurring after radioguided breast biopsy under local anesthesia using epinephrine local anesthetics in the context of a diagnostic approach to breast cancer. DISCUSSION: Although the literature is comforting about the use of local anesthetics, even on the extremities, severe skin complications continue to be reported sporadically. The analysis and understanding of these phenomena would allow, in the long run, to avoid them and to reduce their importance. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of skin necrosis after breast biopsy under radiographic control is rare and seems to be related to the local anesthetic procedure. Although similar cases have been reported in the literature, it does not seem possible today to conclude on the exact physiopathology of these complications. A better knowledge of the pathophysiology of these complications would help to avoid their occurrence in the future.

A Reliable Porcine Fascio-Cutaneous Flap Model for Vascularized Composite Allografts Bioengineering Studies.

Vascularized Composite Allografts (VCA) such as hand, face, or penile transplant represents the cutting-edge treatment for devastating skin defects, failed by the first steps of the reconstructive ladder. Despite promising aesthetic and functional outcomes, the main limiting factor remains the need for a drastically applied lifelong immunosuppression and its well-known medical risks, preventing broader indications. Therefore, lifting the immune barrier in VCA is essential to tip the ethical scale and improve patients' quality of life using the most advanced surgical techniques. De novo creation of a patient-specific graft is the upcoming breakthrough in reconstructive transplantation. Using tissue engineering techniques, VCAs can be freed of donor cells and customized for the recipient through perfusion-decellularization-recellularization. To develop these new technologies, a large-scale animal VCA model is necessary. Hence, swine fascio-cutaneous flaps, composed of skin, fat, fascia, and vessels, represent an ideal model for preliminary studies in VCA. Nevertheless, most VCA models described in the literature include muscle and bone. This work reports a reliable and reproducible technique for saphenous fascio-cutaneous flap harvest in swine, a practical tool for various research fields, especially vascularized composite tissue engineering.

Salvaging the infected breast implant: results of a retrospective series of 80 consecutive cases.

BACKGROUND: Breast implants are widely used in reconstruction after breast cancer. Infection after implant reconstruction is a major complication, with rates ranging from 5 to 30%. This rate is less for pure cosmetic augmentation. Historically, infection of an implant mandated implant removal for sepsis control. An alternative is to attempt to salvage the infected implant. This path can be a long one, requiring surgery for washouts and prolonged antibiotic therapy. This article documents our experience of infected implant salvage over the last 13 years. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients who developed a breast implant infection between January 2005 and January 2018. All patients had both clinical signs of infection and a positive bacteriological sample. Patients were divided into two groups: upfront medical therapy (including those requiring secondary surgical salvage) and primary surgery. The salvage procedure was defined as successful when the implant was still in place three months after the initial reconstruction. RESULTS: Eighty patients were included: 77 in the medical group and 3 in the surgical group. Overall, implant salvage was achieved in 88.8% of women (n=71). Of these, 73.8% (n=59) underwent medical treatment alone and 15% (n=12) underwent medical treatment followed by surgical management. The main causative organism was staphylococcus in 81.2%. When the infection was caused by a coagulase-negative staphylococcus, the rate of success was 98% (p<0.003). CONCLUSIONS: This case series reports that salvage of an infected breast implant was achievable in up to 90% of women presenting with a documented infection, the majority requiring antibiotic management only. Early intervention is central to success.

Bipedicled dorsal intercostal artery propeller flaps for reconstruction of extensive cervicothoracic midline defects.

BACKGROUND: Propeller flaps have been reported to cover cervicothoracic midline defects with lower donor site morbidity compared to muscle flaps. When these defects are extensive, we propose a propeller flap technique that we have named dorsal intercostal artery perforator plus (DICAP+) flap based on two perforator pedicles, to secure the large skin paddle. In this article, we present our experience. METHODS: Six propeller DICAP+ flap procedures were performed on five patients, to reconstruct cervicothoracic midline defects. Three of them were caused by tumors and two were secondary to hardware exposure after spinal surgery. Defect sizes ranged from 16 × 5 to 24 × 9 cm. Every propeller flap was harvested on two perforators including one DICAP, and rotated from 80° to 180°. RESULTS: Skin ellipse size ranged from 15 × 7 cm or 82.4 cm2 to 25 × 12 cm or 235.5 cm2 , equal to a mean surface area of 160 cm2 . The donor site was closed by primary suturing in four of the six procedures, by a contralateral propeller DICAP flap in one patient, and was left to heal by secondary intention in another one. All six flaps successfully covered the underlying defects with no evidence of partial or complete necrosis. No other complications were observed at recipient and donor sites. The follow-up period ranged from 9 months to 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Propeller flaps based on two dorsal perforators including one dorsal intercostal artery perforator, DICAP+, are a reliable means of reconstructing extensive cervicothoracic midline defects.

External Fixation During the Acute Phase of Deep Burned Hands: Description of Saint Louis' Burn Center Technique.

Restoration of a good hand function and limitation of the sequelae are the main concerns in burns treatment. The intrinsic plus position is known as the safe position for hand splinting. This article aims at describing the technique of external fixation that have been developed in Saint Louis' Burn Center in management of burned hands during the acute phase. Since 2013, a technique of external fixation has been developed in our burn center using Hoffmann II External Fixation System from Stryker® and pins from Medicalex®. External fixation of a deep burned hand is an efficient and safe way to immobilize the hand in a correct intrinsic plus position, to secure the skin grafts to improve graft take and to permit changes of the dressings without removing the immobilization device.

Free-style puzzle flap as a cross-leg pedicled flap: the concept of re-using a flap in acute burns, a case report.

BACKGROUND: In well-selected cases, flaps can play a pivotal role in optimizing outcomes in the acute phase of burns. A previous redundant flap could be reused or recycled as a donor site from which a new flap could be raised. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a patient with full thickness burns on both legs, leading to the exposure of joints of the right ankle and the right foot and left patellar tendon. The right lower extremity was covered with a free musculo-cutaneous latissimus dorsi flap. Then, a musculo-cutaneous cross-leg flap pedicled on the anterior branch and centered on a perforator was harvested from the previous redundant flap to cover the controlateral knee. CONCLUSION: Sequential flap coverage can be considered in cases of extensive soft tissue defects and particularly in burns. This case illustrates that re-using a redundant part of a previous flap to cover another defect is a safe and interesting alternative in the event of a lack of donor sites or to save donor sites for later reconstruction of contracted burn scars.