Unusual case of a free anterolateral thigh flap partial necrosis in a COVID-19 positive young male following extremity reconstruction.
10.1016/j.cjtee.2023.02.002
- VernacularTitle:Unusual case of a free anterolateral thigh flap partial necrosis in a COVID-19 positive young male following extremity reconstruction
- Author:
Sourabh Shankar CHAKRABORTY
1
;
Anjana MALHOTRA
2
;
Urvi Ashok SHAH
2
;
Shylesh Ramesh BABU
2
;
Puja Bhaurao DANDEKAR
2
;
Doddi Avinash KUMAR
2
;
Chindarkar Himanshu PRAKASH
2
Author Information
1. Department of Burn & Plastic Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani, West Bengal, 741245, India. Electronic address: sourabh.chakraborty86@gmail.com.
2. Department of Plastic Surgery, South Eastern Railway Central Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700043, India.
- Publication Type:Case Reports
- Keywords:
COVID-19;
Free anterolateral thigh flap;
Free flap complication;
Partial flap failure
- MeSH:
Humans;
Male;
Thigh/surgery*;
Free Tissue Flaps/surgery*;
Plastic Surgery Procedures;
COVID-19;
Lower Extremity/surgery*;
Vascular Diseases;
Postoperative Complications/surgery*
- From:
Chinese Journal of Traumatology
2023;26(5):308-310
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Free flap procedure provides an overall success rate of 97%, which decreases to 85% in hypercoagulable states. COVID-19, as a pro-thrombotic disorder, therefore seems detrimental to free flap survival. We encountered a case of unique pattern of free flap partial failure in a young male who underwent extremity reconstruction. The patient was diagnosed as COVID-19 positive on the 3rd day post-reconstruction. The flap survived well for the first 7 days post-operatively, but gradually the skin got necrosed and the subcutaneous fat layer was preserved when debriding. To our knowledge, this is the only case in which the skin of the free flap of a COVID-19 positive patient was necrosed almost entirely subsequently, while the subcutaneous fat was relatively preserved.
