Skin flaps and grafts Flashcards
What is the difference between flaps and grafts?
flaps remain attached to the patient, grafts do not
What is the difference between flaps and axial pattern flaps?
Flaps may rely on just the subdermal plexus
axial pattern flaps rely on a specific cutaneous artery and thus can be longer (better blood supply)
Why do free grafts require a recipient bed with a good blood supply to survive?
because they do not have their own blood supply (unless attached via microvascular anastomosis)
What are most commonly used to cover wounds of distal extremities?
free grafts
When are flaps and grafts used?
- for wounds where the wound is not expected to heal in a satisfactory way by contraction and epithelialization
- primary closure of surgically created defects that cannot otherwise be closed
What is another name for a subdermal plexus flaps?
random pattern flaps
How do you increase the change of subdermal plexus flap survival
- the flap should be no more than twice as long as it is wide
2.
How do you increase the change of subdermal plexus flap survival
- the flap should be no more than twice as long as it is wide
- the base should be wider than the tip
What is a requirement for using a flap?
the skin adjacent to the wound has to be loose and mobile
How are flaps classified?
according to their shape and the movement of the flap
What are 3 types of subdermal plexus flaps?
- rotation flaps
- pedicle advancement flaps
- skin fold advangement flaps
What are rotation flaps useful for?
good for dealing with triangular defects. Make 3x as long as base of triangle.
What are pedicle advancement flaps?
make incisions on a side of a defect, undermining and advancing the resultant defect
(can also do on both sides)
Why don’t you want to cut into the base of a flap?
because it compromises blood supply
What are 4 types of subdermal plexus flaps?
- rotation flaps
- pedicle advancement flaps
- skin fold advangement flaps
- transposition flaps
Why don’t you want to cut into the base of a flap?
because it compromises blood supply
What are transposition flaps?
flaps in which skin is lifted form one area where skin is plentiful to close the wound
Why do you leave dog ears with transposition flaps?
because if you cut them you could compromise blood supply
Why do you have to be careful not to rotate transposition flaps too much?
Because they can compromise blood supply
What are skin fold advancement flaps?
flaps that make use of loose skin present in the axilla and inguinal regions that can be moved into defects nearby
What is a filet technique?
cut off tail or toe to use skin
Why can you make axial pattern flaps longer than subdermal plexus flaps?
because they contain a cutaneous artery and vein (thus a known blood supply)
What are angiosomes?
regions that each artery supplies
How much can axial pattern flaps be rotated?
180 degrees