Plastic Surgery Closure of Complex Spinal Wounds
Eren O Kuris1, Daniel Alsoof, Julia Lerner
1From the Department of Orthopedics, Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, Providence, RI (Kuris, Alsoof, and Daniels), Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI (Lerner and Woo).
Abstract:
Wound breakdown and infection are common complications after complex spine surgery and may occur in up to 40% of high-risk patients. These are challenging scenarios which can result in a prolonged hospital stay, revision surgery, and elevated costs. Reconstructive specialists can do prophylactic closures for high-risk groups to potentially reduce the risk of developing a wound complication. These plastic surgery techniques often involve multilayered closure, with the addition of local muscle and/or fasciocutaneous flaps. The goal of this study was to review the literature for risks associated with wound complications, identification of high-risk patients, and the advantages of using plastic surgery techniques. In addition, we elaborate on the multilayered and flap closure technique for complex spine surgery which is done at our institution.
