Introduction:

The covering of exposed orthopedic devices and bone infections with flaps are a controversial issue. There is no clear consensus concerning the treatment of this complication. In recent years, there has been a trend to maintain the osteosynthesis material and to control the infection by providing well vascularized tissue in the form of a muscular or fasciocutaneous flap.

Objective:

To assess the reconstructive success with flaps of soft tissue defects in limbs that have required osteosynthesis, based on the presence of infection and the status of the implant devices at the time of reconstruction.

Methods:

Retrospective study of a series of 15 cases with soft tissue defect in the lower limbs after implantation of orthopedic devices to the bone. All the cases were covered with muscle or fasciocutaneous flap, with or without removal of the implants. The presence or absence of infection prior to reconstruction (clinical signs, results of microbiological culture, and exposure of the orthopedic material), removal or maintenance of the implant during reconstruction, and the presence of postoperative complications were studied. These variables were associated with postoperative reconstructive success. The analysis of the variables was performed using the chi-square, as well as Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney U tests, according to the type of variable, and for a significance of 0.05.

Results:

The frequency of reconstructive success was higher in those patients with negative culture and without exposure of bone material (P=0.038). A lower rate of complications was found in patients with infection before reconstruction (P=0.039), and in those with positive culture and exposure of the material prior to surgery, whose implants had been removed during reconstruction (P=0.032).

Conclusions:

The provision of well vascularized tissue in the form of flap allows maintenance of the orthopedic material with a success rate of 66.67%, as well as favorable outcomes in the mid to long terms. The results of exposure and culture are predictive indicators of surgery outcomes.

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