Integumentary System Flashcards
Factors considered when managing a wound
Type of injury, location, degree of contamination, age of the wound, blood supply, and skin lost
Types of vessels supplying the skin
Perforating musculocutaneous vessels pass through the muscle to supply skin
Direct cutaneous vessels run subdermally and parallel to the skin surface and closely associated with the panniculus muscle
The normal tension of the skin is the result of what
Elastic fibers in the dermis and is the reason skin edges retract when incised
What influences skin tension lines
Skin is anisotropic (lack similar properties in all directions) and is influenced by muscle contraction, movement of joints and other external forces
list some of the particulars when suturing tissue
Tissue strength and not suture size or number are more important determinants for dehiscence
Suture should be placed as close together as necessary
More sutures are required in thin skin
Wounds under tension increasing suture number is preferable to increasing size
Describe the corner suture
Begins like a routine horizontal mattress but instead of penetrating full thickness, only a partial thickness bite is taken, then is passed horizontally through the dermis at the point of the V and is completed as it was started
Is also called three-point or half-buried mattress suture
Is used to secure the sharp intersecting point of a Y-shaped incision
Describe the particulars of tension-relieving patterns
If the force required on individual sutures to appose skin edges increases to the point where vascular supply is compromised tension sutures can be used
Used either alone or in combination with appositional patterns
Explain the reason why sutures should be placed at least 0.5 cm from skin edges
Collangenolytic and inflammatory processes that take place during early wound healing weaken the suture-holding ability of the skin
Discuss undermining skin
Simplest tension-relieving procedure, blunt dissection has the advantage of minimizing damage to the cutaneous blood supply over sharp dissection
Depth at witch skin is undermined depends on vascular supply
In a fresh wound a distance equal to the width of the defect should be elevated on each side of the wound and can be extended half as much again if needed
Discuss tension-release incisions
Are longitudinal incisions made adjacent to the wound margin which aids in advancing skin to cover the wound
When the tissue between the wound edge and incision is undermined the elevated skin acts as a bipedicle advancement flap
Can be made on either side of the incision or both sides, when making a single release incision it should be placed at a distance approximately the width of the wound away from the wound edge
When creating two release incisions the resultant size of each new wound is approximately half of the original wound area and is preferred over one release incision
Discuss mesh expansion
Simple technique that when combined with undermining can increase the amount of skin available for mobilization
Small incisions made in staggered rows parallel to wound edge made approximately 1 cm between individual stab incisions and adjacent rows
Explain V-to-Y and Y-to V plasty
V-to-Y requires a V-shaped incision with the point of the V directed away from the defect to be closed, closure of the V incision is done by converting it to a Y
Discuss Z-Plasty
Used to relieve tension from a linear scar, change orientation of an incision line or scar or to relieve tension when closing a large defect by recruiting loose tissue from the sides of the surgical site
Represent a modification of a transposition flap
Result in a change in orientation of the central limb of the Z and a gain in length
Z is symmetric with the 3 limbs of equal length and the same angle between the two arms and the central limb
An angle of 60° is most frequently used which result in 75% gain in length
Most common complication is ischemia and necrosis of the tips of the triangular flaps
Explain W-Plasty
Designed to improve the cosmetic appearance of a scar
Scar is excised by making a series of opposing zigzag incisions in such a way that when sutured the incision will interdigitate
Discuss presuturing
Is based on the principle that skin stretch when is held in tension
It relies on the physiologic response of mechanical creep which result in skin expansion and can be achieved when sutures are placed several hours prior to removal of a skin lesion
Discuss Elastomers
Consist of a silicon pouch that can be gradually inflated percutaneously with sterile saline
Take advantage of both mechanical and biological creep and can expand the area of the skin 2-3 fold, epidermis respond to gradual inflation by an increase in mitotic activity and a net increase in epidermal tissue
Complications include pain, pressure necrosis, implant failure, wound dehiscence, and premature exposure of the expander
Describe closure of fusiform excisions
Can be used for elective scar revision with the long axis of the defect being oriented parallel to the lines of skin tension
A 3:1 or 4:1 length to width ratio will allow closure of the defect with fairly even distribution
Describe closure of circular defects
Commonly result in the formation of dog ear
Can be converted to an X or a Y-shape by tightening sutures placed at 3 or four points equidistant to each other around of the circumference of the defect
Excision of two triangles on opposite sides of the circle therefore creating a fusiform defect
The height of each triangle should be at least equal to the diameter of the circle resulting in removal of skin equivalent to 1.5 times the area of the original defect
Double S-shaped incision with a bi-winged excision, bow tie and combined V-incision are alternative methods
Describe skin flaps
Skin flaps or pedicle graft is a portion (flap) of skin that when created, can be moved from its original location to a second location on the body while by virtue of its attachment (pedicle) it maintains vascular supply
Describe the classification of skin flaps
Local or distant depending on the relationship of the donor site to recipient site
Local flaps include rotation flaps, transposition flaps and interpolating flaps
Also categorized as random or axial pattern flaps according to the nature of their vascular supply
Random pattern flaps do not have defined vascular pattern depend on the subdermal plexus for survival
Axial pattern flaps contain at least one major direct efferent and efferent cutaneous vessel
Discuss the length to width ratio
Random patter flaps length to width ratios from 1:1 to 3:1 for single pedicle and 1.5:1 to 3:1 for bipedicle
Describe the delay phenomenon
Used to enhance the blood supply to the skin to increase the chances of survival
Two stage technique involves incising and undermining the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the proposed flap and leaving it sutured in its original location for a period of time
Describe advancement flaps
Are random pattern flaps that can be either the single or bipedicle type a V-Y plasty is an example
Simple bipedicle flaps are performed either by making a single longitudinal incision on one side of the wound or by incision on each side of the defect
Discuss rotating flaps
3 types are described rotation, transposition, interpolating
Rotation flap involves creating a semicircular incision and moving the tissue laterally
A rectangular single pedicle flap that is created adjacent to the defect and subsequently rotated on its pedicle is called transposition
Moving a similar rectangular flap onto an immediately adjacent defect creates an interpolating flap
Most common indications for applying skin grafts
Large wounds that cannot heal by any other means
Discuss the classification of free grafts
Can be classified by their source in autograft (isograft), allograft (homograft) and xenograft (heterograft)
By their thickness in full-thickness composed of epidermis and entire dermis, split-thickness composed of epidermis and only a portion of the dermis
Full or split thickness free skin grafts can be applied as a solid or meshed sheets or they can be embedded in granulation tissue as pinch, punch, or tunnel grafts
Factor that would influence graft acceptance
Percentage of dermis within the graft
The thickness of dermis within the graft is directly proportional to the graft’s durability and cosmesis but inversely proportional to the graft’s ability to survive
Describe how a graft adhere to recipient site
Adhere by fibrin which binds to collagen within the graft
Vessels and fibroblast invade the fibrin matrix by day 4-5
Graft becomes firmly adhere around day 10
Describe neovascularization of a graft
New capillaries from the recipient bed invade preexisting vessels within the graft, and others cut new vascular channels into the dermis
Explain vascular bridging
Phenomenon that may enable a portion of the graft overlying relatively avascular portion of the wound to revascularize
Capillaries enter the portion of the graft overlying the avascular portion of the wound from the relative highly vascular aspect of the surrounding recipient bed to create vascular bridges across the avascular portion of the wound
Full thickness grafts bridge better because collateral circulation within the dermis of a full thickness graft is less interrupted
Describe graft contraction
After harvested grafts immediately shrink because of recoil of elastic fibers within the deep dermal layers known as primary contraction with a greater effect in full thickness grafts
Grafts composed solely of epidermis do not shrink at all
Skin graft inhibit wound contraction by accelerating the life cycle of the myofibroblast within the wound
Total percentage of dermis grafted is more important than the absolute thickness of the skin graft in preventing wound contraction