[Wound healing in reconstructive head and neck surgery].

Area of Science:

• Reconstructive surgery
• Surgical outcomes
• Wound healing

Context:

• Head and neck reconstructive surgery involves complex wound healing challenges.
• Optimizing surgical outcomes requires understanding factors influencing wound healing.
• Previous research identified smoking cessation and operative duration as key factors.

Purpose:

• To investigate additional factors impacting wound healing in head and neck reconstructive surgery.
• To identify preoperative and intraoperative variables associated with wound complications.

Summary:

• Multivariate analysis of 370 patients revealed significant associations between wound healing and preoperative factors.
• Preoperative smoking cessation (over 43 days), preoperative starvation care, and shorter operative duration were linked to reduced wound complications.
• Conversely, preoperative chemotherapy was associated with an increased incidence of wound complications.

Impact:

• Findings highlight the critical role of preoperative patient optimization in improving surgical wound healing.
• Identifies modifiable factors such as smoking cessation and starvation care to enhance patient recovery.
• Provides evidence-based insights for surgical planning and patient management in head and neck reconstruction.