Arterialized venous skin flaps for the injured finger

Seven cases of arterialized venous skin flaps for the treatment of both skin defects in the fingers, and digital arterial defects, are presented. The method involves taking the skin flaps along with a subcutaneous vein from the flexor side of the distal forearm or the dorsal aspect of the foot, and interpositioning the vein in the flap between the missing digital artery, to cover the skin defect as well as to restore blood circulation. The size of the flaps ranged from 1.0 x 1.0 cm to 4.5 x 3.0 cm. Almost complete survival of flaps was achieved in all cases. This method does not sacrifice any portion of the digital artery, and is also an excellent technique for restoring blood circulation and reconstructing skin defects simultaneously.