The risk of free flap revision and subsequent medical costs in patients with hypopharyngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the preoperative risks and healthcare costs related to free flap revision in hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) patients. METHODS: A 20-year retrospective case-control study was conducted using the Chang Gung Research Database, focusing on HPC patients who underwent tumor excision and free flap reconstruction from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2019. The impacts of clinical variables on the need for re-exploration due to free flap complications were assessed using logistic regression. The direct and indirect effects of these complications on medical costs were evaluated by causal mediation analysis. RESULTS: Among 348 patients studied, 43 (12.4%) developed complications requiring re-exploration. Lower preoperative albumin levels significantly increased the risk of complications (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.12-5.35), especially in older and previously irradiated patients. Causal mediation analysis revealed that these complications explained 11.4% of the effect on increased hospitalization costs, after controlling for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Lower preoperative albumin levels in HPC patients are associated with a higher risk of microvascular free flap complications and elevated healthcare costs, underscoring the need for enhanced nutritional support before surgery in this population.

Functional Evaluation of Ankle Joint After 1-Stage Secondary Debulking Procedure After Flap Reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Free or local flaps that are used to reconstruct the lower limb often result in poor functional outcome because of bulkiness of the flap and scar contracture over ankle joint region. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional results of ankle joint after 1-stage secondary debulking procedure for lower limb trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From January of 2002 to October of 2018, debulking procedures were performed for 66 patients after flap reconstructions of the lower limb. Thirty-eight patients (group 1) of foot injury without ankle joint involvement and 20 patients (group 2) with ankle joint involvement were included. Range of motion (ROM) of ankle joint before and after debulking procedure was measured after 6 months of follow-up. RESULTS: After debulking procedure, all the patients were able to dress in their preinjury shoes without any difficulty and with ease of ambulation. For all patients, with or without ankle involvement, the postdebulking ROM versus predebulking ROM improved significantly (P < 0.01). The ROM improvements for patients with ankle involvement were significantly better then patients without ankle involvement (P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: One-stage debulking procedure can provide long-term constant, reliable, thin skin coverage for the lower limb after flap reconstruction with improved ankle ROM. This allows better functional results, especially for lower limb trauma patients with initial ankle involvement.

Elevation of White Blood Cell Subtypes in Adult Trauma Patients with Stress-Induced Hyperglycemia.

BACKGROUND: Blood immune cell subset alterations following trauma can indicate a patient's immune-inflammatory status. This research explored the influence of stress-induced hyperglycemia (SIH) on platelet counts and white blood cell (WBC) subtypes, including the derived indices of the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), in trauma patients. METHODS: We studied 15,480 adult trauma patients admitted from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2022. They were categorized into four groups: nondiabetic normoglycemia (NDN, n = 11,602), diabetic normoglycemia (DN, n = 1750), SIH (n = 716), and diabetic hyperglycemia (DH, n = 1412). A propensity score-matched cohort was formed after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, allowing for comparing the WBC subtypes and platelet counts. RESULTS: Patients with SIH exhibited significantly increased counts of monocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in contrast to NDN patients. However, no significant rise in platelet counts was noted in the SIH group. There were no observed increases in these cell counts in either the DN or DH groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that trauma patients with SIH showed significantly higher counts of monocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes when compared to NDN patients, whereas the DN and DH groups remained unaffected. This underscores the profound association between SIH and elevated levels of specific WBC subtypes.

The Multiple-U Technique: A Novel Microvascular Anastomosis Technique That Guarantees Everted Anastomosis Sites with Solid Intima-to-Intima Contact.

SUMMARY: The key to successful microvascular anastomosis is achieving intima-to-intima contact, which is not always easy. In this article, the authors propose the multiple-U technique, which is a novel microvascular anastomosis technique that characterizes easy and reliable intima-to-intima contact. The technique was performed on patients who underwent free flap reconstruction for head and neck defects at the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from September 1, 2020, to November 30, 2020. The immediate patency test results for all vessel anastomoses were positive, and the postoperative recovery courses of the patients were without any vascular complications. In conclusion, the multiple-U technique is a widely available technique that guarantees everted anastomosis sites and solid intima-to-intima contact. This technique can be performed on both arterial and venous anastomoses regardless of vessel size and wall thickness.

Effect of Lymphaticovenous Anastomosis on Muscle Edema, Limb, and Subfascial Volume in Lower Limb Lymphedema: MRI Studies.

BACKGROUND: Although satisfactory volume reduction in secondary unilateral lower limb lymphedema after lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) in the affected limb has been well reported, alleviation of muscle edema and the impact of LVA on the contralateral limb have not been investigated. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study enrolled patients who underwent supermicrosurgical LVA between November 2015 and January 2017. Pre- and post-LVA muscle edema were assessed using fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). The primary endpoint was changes in limb/subfascial volume assessed with magnetic resonance volumetry at least 6 months after LVA. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were enrolled in this study. Significant percentage reductions in post-LVA muscle edema were found in the affected thigh (83.6% [interquartile range = range of Q1 to Q3; 29.8-137.1] [FA], 53.3% [27.0-78.4] [ADC]) as well as limb (21.7% [4.4-26.5]) and subfascial (18.7% [10.7-39.1]) volumes. Similar findings were noted in the affected lower leg: 71.8% [44.0-100.1] (FA), 59.1% [45.8-91.2] (ADC), 21.2% [6.8-38.2], and 28.2% [8.5-44.8], respectively (all p < 0.001). Significant alleviation of muscle edema was also evident in the contralateral limbs (thigh: 25.1% [20.4-57.5] [FA]; 10.7% [6.6-17.7] [ADC]; lower leg: 47.1% [35.0-62.8] [FA]; 14.6% [6.5-22.1] [ADC]; both p < 0.001), despite no statistically significant difference in limb and subfascial volumes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found significant reductions in muscle edema and limb/subfascial volumes in the affected limb after LVA. Our findings regarding edema in the contralateral limb were consistent with possible lymphedema-associated systemic influence on the unaffected limb, which could be surgically relieved.