Sartorius muscle coverage for the treatment of complicated vascular surgical wounds

Sartorius muscle flaps were evaluated in 14 patients treated for complicated groin wounds related to vascular surgical procedures. Particular risk factors for poor wound healing were present in 8 patients, including diabetes, obesity, or poor nutrition in 3 patients; prior radiotherapy to the groin in 2; reoperative groin exposure in 3. Eleven of 14 patients had multiple indications for sartorius flap coverage, including hemorrhage in 5 patients, groin wound sepsis in 3, graft sepsis in 2, wound necrosis in 5, exposure of a reconstruction in 4, treatment of a lymphocele in 1, and treatment of groin irradiation in 2. Nine flaps were proximal sartorius segments rotated into the groin, four were distal muscle reflected into the groin, and one was a mobilized mid-portion of the muscle. Early successful wound healing occurred in all patients, but complications included muscle bed infection in 1 patient, late recurrence of lymphocele in 1, and recurrent groin sepsis in 1. Hemorrhage did not recur, and existing reconstructions were salvaged in all patients. The sartorius flap is a well-tolerated method for achieving autogenous tissue coverage for the problem groin wound, and there is no long-term functional deficit from anatomic loss of the sartorius muscle.