Eight years experience in crush and avulsion type finger amputation

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Microsurgery
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Finger amputations from crush and avulsion injuries pose significant reconstructive challenges.
• Historically, end-to-end anastomoses were the primary method for replantation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of primary interpositional vein grafts on finger replantation survival rates.
• To compare outcomes between end-to-end anastomoses and vein graft techniques.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 125 finger replantations performed between July 1986 and July 1994.
• Group I (1986-1991): Replantation using end-to-end anastomoses.
• Group II (1991-1994): Replantation utilizing primary interpositional vein grafts for indicated cases.

Main Results:

• Overall survival rate for 125 replanted fingers was 70.4%.
• Group I (end-to-end anastomoses) achieved a survival rate of 48.3%.
• Group II (vein graft) demonstrated a significantly higher survival rate of 77.1% (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Primary interpositional vein grafting significantly improves finger replantation survival rates in crush and avulsion injuries.
• Increased surgical team experience and the adoption of vein grafts contributed to improved outcomes.
• Vein grafting is a valuable technique for enhancing success in complex finger replantations.