Exam 2 Flashcards
What are the primary sources of blood for skin flaps?
The deep cutaneous artery and vein (big vessels that supply a wide area) which then branch into the deep/subdermal plexus
-provided by the skeletal musculature and panniculus muscles respectively
What are some important things to consider when handling the skin?
-extremely gentle handling
-avoid grasping skin at the reconstructive sites with thumb forceps
-use skin hooks or stay sutures to allow for gentle tissue handling
Where on a skin flap is the blood supply the most compromised?
At the tip (farthest away from blood supply)
- must be extremely delicate if using the tip of the tissue to move the flap- can use the subQ tissue to grab rather than the top of the skin
T/F: The incision always needs to be perpendicular to the tension lines
False. It needs to be parallel to the tension lines
- allows you to close with the least amount of tension
Are skin sutures ever for tension reduction?
NOO- just there to achieve nice apposition of the skin edges
Describe the concept of mechanical creep.
Mechanical creep is what happens when skin is under load for a period of time
- as stress is placed on skin, skin can release its own tension
-tension reduction and stress relaxation can be used in the OR to release tension on tissues
Where is the highest amount of tension in an incision?
At the midline
Describe biological creep
Stretching of the skin naturally over time due to pregnancy
What are the optional conditions for the wound environment?
-wound itself should have no infection and good blood supply
-the area surrounding the wound should have minimal inflammation and necrosis
What are the primary wound factors you need to consider when deciding how to close? What about patient specific factors? Owner factors?
Wound factors: size and shape of the wound, anatomic location
Patient factors: must consider species and breed, age, temperament and comorbidities
Owner factors: financial considerations, compliance
Describe the process of undermining the skin
-separate the skin from the underlying tissue
-preserve the subdermal plexus by cutting deep to the cutaneous trunci/platysa/sphincter colli muscles
-if in an area that you cannot see the above muscles, cut to the underlying muscle fascia
In what situation do you want to avoid undermining?
When resecting tumors
If placing sutures to stretch the skin, what 2 things can help to avoid damage to the patient?
Placing foam underneath the sutures so they don’t cut the underlying tissue
- placing the tissues a bit off of the tissue edge so they don’t rip out
What are the 4 examples we discussed in class of tension relieving sutures?
Cruciate sutures, far-near-near-far, and far-far-near-near, mattress sutures
What is important to consider when using walking sutures?
Don’t place too many as they can compromise the blood supply!
-make bites parallel to the direction of pull
-take strong bites of the dermis but do not penetrate the skin
How can bolsters be used for tension reduction?
You place then under vertical mattress sutures to reduce tension on the skin itself and instead put the tension over another material
What are the two different techniques for relaxing incisions?
- Single relaxing incision (bipedicle flap)
- Mesh relaxing incision (1 cm incisions inrows spaced 1 cm apart)
What is the main worry when using a mesh relaxing incision?
There is a chance that you may devitalize the skin
- therefore it is very important to be judicious with this technique
What are the main considerations when using subdermal plexus flaps?
- maintain appropriate base (larger than width of flap) in order to preserve the blood supply as much as possible
-the length needs to be sufficient to cover the defect
What are the main differences between single pedicle flaps and bipedicle flaps?
-with single pedicle flaps there are 2 skin incisions made equal in length to the defect
-with bipedicle flaps the incisions are made parallel to the long axis of the defect, and the flap length should be no more than 2X the length of the flap base
When would you use subdermal plexus rotation flaps?
In situations where there is not loose skin immediately surrounding the defect, but the skin is looser a bit more proximal or distal to the defect
T/F: With transposition flaps, the width of the flap has to equal the width of the defect
TRUE
-these flaps are performed in which one border of the flap is adjacent to the defect, and then the skin is rotated
In what areas are skin fold flaps commonly used?
Flank fold flaps and elbow fold flaps to cover defects on upper limbs
With axial pattern flaps, where does the blood supply come from?
The direct cutaneous artery and vein
-can be longer relative to the pedicle
-can be rotated up to 180 degrees at the base
-overall survival rate: 87-100%
-need to know anatomy of the vessels