Skin and composite grafts

Skin grafts may be used for coverage of facial defects in situations in which alternative methods of reconstruction, such as local flaps, are not an option. They may also be beneficial for patients who wish to avoid or who are not good candidates for more complex reconstruction. Full-thickness skin grafts often have a better color and texture match to adjacent skin when compared to split-thickness grafts; however, split-thickness grafts have lower metabolic demand and increased survival rate. Composite grafts may be very useful in the repair of defects with unique contour and support requirements, such as the nasal ala and eyelid. With all grafts, thoughtful planning and sound surgical technique are critical in achieving the best possible functional and aesthetic result.

Autotransplantation of Flaps in the Treatment of Peri-Implant Infection After Osteosynthesis (Analysis of Clinical Observations)

Unfortunately, suppuration of a postoperative wound remains the most frequent complication of surgical intervention. If suppuration is located superficially, within the subcutaneous fat, it can be successfully managed with minimal functional losses. The clinical course is significantly complicated if the focus of infection is located under the skin, in the thickness of the muscles, in the fracture zone. In the case of suppuration in the area of osteosynthesis, the complication may become critical.Such a complication is a serious condition that requires multi-stage complex and sometimes multidisciplinary treatment.The conditions for a successful outcome in this pathology are the minimum period from the moment of suppuration, active surgical tactics, stability of the implant, and good vascularization of the surrounding soft tissues.Active surgical tactics involves the opening and sanitation of purulent foci, leaks, recesses. Staged necrectomies are inevitable companions of surgical treatment and can cause the formation of defects in the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscles.The resulting soft tissue defect leads to exposure of the bone and plate. Removal of the metal fixator becomes inevitable.Only the closure of the defect with a complex of tissues based on free vascularized composite grafts can radically solve the problem.The article presents two clinical observations of deep wound infection after bone osteosynthesis, where autotransplantation of a vascularized flap was used. The use of this technique made it possible to achieve suppression of infection, wound healing by primary intention, to create conditions for consolidation of the fracture, restoration of function and preservation of the limb as a whole.

New perspectives in regenerative medicine and surgery: the bioactive composite therapies (BACTs)

Regenerative medicine and surgery is a rapidly expanding branch of translational research in tissue engineering, cellular and molecular biology.To date, the methods to improve cell intake, survival, and isolation need to comply with a complex and still unclear regulatory frame, becoming everyday more restrictive and often limiting the effectiveness and outcome of the therapeutic choices. Thus, the authors developed a novel 360° regenerative strategy based on the synergic action of several new components called the bioactive composite therapies (BACTs) to improve grafted cells intake, and survival in total compliance with the legal and ethical limits of the current regulatory frame.The rationale at the origin of this new technology is based on the evidence that cells need supportive substrate to survive in vitro and this observation, applying the concept of translational medicine, is true also in vivo. Bioactive composite mixtures (BACMs) are tailor-made bioactive mixtures containing several bioactive components that support cells’ survival and induce a regenerative response in vivo by stimulating the recipient site to act as an in situ real bioreactor. Many different tissues have been used in the past for the isolation of cells, molecules, and growth factors, but the adipose tissue and its stromal vascular fraction (SVF) remains the most valuable, abundant, safe, and reliable source of regenerative components and particularly of adipose-derived stems cells (ADSCs). The role of plastic surgeons as the historical experts in all the most advanced techniques for harvesting, manipulating, and grafting adipose tissue is fundamental in this constant process of expansion of regenerative procedures. In this article, we analyze the main causes of cell death and the strategies for preventing it, and we present all the technical steps for preparing the main components of BACMs and the different mixing modalities to obtain the most efficient regenerative action on different clinical and pathological conditions. The second section of this work is dedicated to the logical and sequential evolution from simple bioactive composite grafts (BACGs) that distinguished our initial approach to regenerative medicine, to BACTs where many other fundamental technical steps are analyzed and integrated for supporting and enhancing the most efficient regenerative activity. Level of Evidence: Not gradable

Types of Skin Grafts

Skin grafting is a useful technique that has been used for a very long time for achieving closure of wounds when it cannot occure in a natural conventional manner. There are different types of grafts according to their origin, thickness and form. There are 3 main types of graftsthat are used to cover wounds: Split-thickness skin grafts, full-thickness skin grafts and composite grafts. Each of them has specific indication and has a unique technique for harvesting. If the graft is not taken care of properly its survival can be compromised and necrosis of the graft can occur. Even though complications may present, skin grafting is still considered a practical approach to repair many type of wounds.

Reopening of the Occluded Saphenous Vein Composite Grafts After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background. We have observed reopening of the occluded “no-touch” saphenous vein (NT SV) composite grafts on follow-up angiograms in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graftings (CABG). Methods. Between 2008 and 2018, 1283 patients received NT SV conduits without or with surrounding pedicle tissue as composite grafts based on the in situ left internal thoracic artery (ITA) for CABG and underwent early postoperative angiographies. Among the 1283 patients, 53 patients showed 55 occluded SV conduit anastomoses, and 46 patients who had 48 occluded SV anastomoses were re-evaluated by 1-year postoperative angiographies. Results. Early postoperative angiographies in 1283 patients demonstrated overall occlusion rates of 1.2% (56/4518); occlusion rates of the ITA and SV were 0.08% (1/1259) and 1.7% (55/3260), respectively. One-year angiograms demonstrated that 14 occluded SV anastomoses (29.2% [14/48 occluded SV]) of 14 patients became patent. Reopening of occluded SV conduits occurred more frequently in NT SV with pedicle tissue than in NT SV without pedicle tissue (45.0% [9/20] versus 17.9% [5/28]; P=0.057). When we examined the preoperative and 1-year postoperative angiograms, reopening of the occluded SV conduits was not related with progression (P=0.258) or preoperative reversibility score (P=0.115) of native target coronary artery disease. Conclusions. More than a quarter of the occluded SV composite grafts on early postoperative angiograms were patent in the 1-year angiograms. The reopening rates were higher in patients who had received NT SV conduits with pedicle tissue than those who had received NT SV conduits without pedicle tissue.