Objective To investigate the effectiveness of dorsal perforator flap of cross-finger proper digital artery in the treatment of finger soft tissue defect caused by high-pressure injection injury. MethodsBetween July 2011 and June 2020, 14 cases of finger soft tissue defect caused by high-pressure injection injury were repaired with dorsal perforator flap of cross-finger proper digital artery. All patients were male, with a mean age of 36 years (range, 22-56 years). The defects were located on the index finger in 8 cases, middle finger in 4 cases, and ring finger in 2 cases. The causes of injury include 8 cases of emulsion paint injection, 4 cases of oil paint injection, and 2 cases of cement injection. The time from injury to debridement was 2-8 hours, with a mean time of 4.5 hours. The soft tissue defects sized from 4.0 cm×1.2 cm to 6.0 cm×2.0 cm. The flaps sized from 4.5 cm×1.5 cm to 6.5 cm×2.5 cm. The donor site of the flap was repaired with skin graft. The pedicle was cut off at 3 weeks after operation, and followed by functional exercise. ResultsAll flaps and skin grafts at donor sites survived, and the wounds healed by first intention. Twelve patients were followed-up 16-38 months (mean, 22.6 months). The texture and appearance of all flaps were satisfactory. The color and texture of the flaps were similar to those of the surrounding tissues. The two-point discrimination of the flap was 10-12 mm, with a mean of 11.5 mm. There were different degrees of cold intolerance at the end of the affected fingers. At last follow-up, the finger function was evaluated according to the Upper Extremity Functional Evaluation Standard set up by Hand Surgery Branch of Chinese Medical Association, 3 cases were excellent, 8 cases were good, and 1 case was poor. Conclusion The dorsal perforator flap of cross-finger proper digital artery can effectively repair finger soft tissue defect caused by high-pressure injection injury. The operation was simple, and the appearance and function of the finger recover well.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of combined tissue transplantation for repair of serially damaged injuries on radial side of hand and function reconstruction. MethodsBetween May 2013 and May 2017, 34 cases of serially damaged injuries on radial side of hand were treated. There were 29 males and 5 females; aged 17-54 years, with an average of 32.1 years. There were 23 cases of crushing injuries, 5 cases of bruising injuries, 4 cases of machine strangulation injuries, and 2 cases of explosion injuries. The time from injury to admission was 40 minutes to 3 days, with an average of 10 hours. According to the self-determined serially damaged injuries classification standard, there were 1 case of typeⅠa, 2 cases of typeⅠb, 10 cases of typeⅡa, 5 cases of type Ⅱb, 3 cases of type Ⅱc, 1 case of type Ⅱd, 7 cases of type Ⅲa, 3 cases of type Ⅲb, 1 case of type Ⅲc, and 1 case of type Ⅲd. According to the classification results, the discarded finger, nail flap, the second toe, anterolateral thigh flap, ilium flap, fibula flap, and other tissue flaps were selected to repair hand wounds and reconstruct thumb, metacarpal bones, and fingers. ResultsAfter operation, 2 cases of flaps developed vascular crisis and survived after symptomatic treatment; the other transplanted tissue survived smoothly. All cases were followed up 1 to 7 years, with an average of 2.4 years. The average fracture healing time was 7.4 weeks (range, 5.3-9.0 weeks). At last follow-up, the reconstructed fingers and the grafted flaps recovered good sensory function, with a two-point discrimination of 5 to 11 mm (mean, 9 mm). According to the evaluation standard of the upper limb function evaluation of the Chinese Medical Association Hand Surgery Society, the reconstructed thumb was rated as excellent in 24 thumbs, good in 8 thumbs, and fair in 2 thumbs; the reconstructed finger was rated as excellent in 18 fingers, good in 2 fingers, and fair in 1 finger. ConclusionFor the serially damaged injuries on radial side of hand, according to its classification, different tissues are selected for combined transplantation repair and functional reconstruction, which can restore hand function to the greatest extent and improve the quality of life of patients.