[Local flaps as a last attempt to avoid lower extremity amputation: an overview]

Soft tissue reconstruction in aged patients is challenging. Free tissue transfer can be carried out in healthy patients with a high success rate despite old age. When free tissue transfer is contraindicated in multimorbid patients, local flaps are often chosen, which are associated with a high complication rate. Such salvage interventions must be selected so that an amputation is not disadvantageously influenced by the selection of the donor site or is even impossible.

The three distally based local flaps the sural artery flap, peroneus brevis muscle flap and perforator-based propeller flaps are discussed with respect to placement of the donor site as well as wound healing disorders.

The sural artery flap is disadvantageous as the donor site because the proximal dorsal calf region is affected, which in the case of a below the knee amputation enables soft tissue covering of the stump.

If a local flap is to be used as a salvage surgery in an attempt to prevent a below the knee amputation in a patient who is not suitable for free tissue transfer, special emphasis must be placed on the donor site of this flap. The proximal dorsal aspects of the distal calf are required for covering a potential stump and should not be violated by harvesting a local flap.