Tissue Is the Issue: Use of 2 Bipedicled "Bucket-Handle" Local Advancement Flaps to Close a Nonhealing Wound

Soft tissue loss following total knee arthroplasty can result in catastrophic complications. Defects can be covered using various flaps and grafts, including fasciocutaneous flaps. Here, we discuss one case of double bipedicled "bucket-handle" local advancement flaps used for a nonhealing midline knee dehiscence wound following total knee arthroplasty.

Flaps were planned using perforators identified with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) thermal imaging. Two bucket-handle bipedicled flaps were used for repair. Autologous split-thickness skin grafts were used for the donor sites.

FLIR imaging was used for flap monitoring. Apart from one site of superficial epidermolysis that healed with local wound care, there were no postoperative complications.

This case demonstrates the successful use of double bipedicled local advancement flaps to reconstruct a defect following a total knee arthroplasty. These flaps minimize donor site morbidity, provide adequate coverage, allow for tension-free closures, and have reliable vascular supplies. FLIR thermal imaging is an accessible and useful tool in designing and monitoring flaps.