ZusammenfassungIn Deutschland wurde der erste Patient mit SARS-Cov-2 Virus Infektion am 27. Januar 2020 in München bestätigt. Für uns als Plastische Chirurgen und Handchirurgen ist es von zentralerBedeutung, dass wir uns als verantwortungsbewusste Menschen und Ärzte dafür einsetzen, die Übertragung von Viren zu verringern und die Ressourcen zur Behandlung von Patienten, die an der Krankheit schwer erkrankt sind, frei geben. Die vorliegende Arbeit gibt einer Übersicht zu aktuellen Entwicklungen und Erkenntnissen für das Fachgebiet Plastische Chirurgie und für die Handchirurgie.Gleichzeitig müssen wir über unsere Fachgesellschaften aktiv Kriterien und Regularien zur Versorgung von an COVID-19 erkrankten Patienten mitgestalten, den Erhalt unserer Notfallversorgung sichern und sinnvolle Exit-Strategien erarbeiten. Naturgemäß kann dabei gerade bei der rasanten Entwicklung der Erkenntnisse in der aktuellen Pandemie nur eine Momentaufnahme gegeben werden.

Background Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder which leads to anorectal fistulas. In rare cases, patients develop anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) within these lesions. There is limited literature regarding ASCC in patients with CD. Here, we report on a unique case of advanced verrucous carcinoma (VC), a rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma, developing on the grounds of extensive chronic anorectal fistulas in CD. Methods and results A 54-year-old male patient with a 20-year history of CD presented with a large inflammatory tumor at the perineal region with multiple discharging perianal fistulas. Histopathological analysis of the perineal mass revealed a VC. Subsequent surgery with radical tumor resection and terminal colostomy resulted in a large perineal cavity and a partially exposed sacrum. The defect extended to a total of 35 × 25 × 25 cm. Reconstruction was achieved through a two-step approach. A first surgical step established an arteriovenous (AV) loop in the upper thigh. Subsequently, a free latissimus dorsi (LD) myocutaneous flap was harvested and anastomosed with the AV loop, allowing for satisfactory closure of the defect and reconstruction of the perianal and perineal region. Conclusion Radical surgical excision with negative margins is the therapy of choice for VC. This case report demonstrates a curative treatment option with special emphasis on the reconstructive possibilities of a unique case of extended perianal and perineal VC associated with chronic anorectal fistulas in CD.

Background: Microsurgical tissue transfer revolutionized reconstructive surgery after extensive trauma, oncological resections, and severe infections. Complex soft tissue reconstructions are increasingly performed in multimorbid and elderly patients. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate whether these patients benefit from these complex procedures. Objective: To evaluate the outcome for multimorbid patients who underwent microsurgical soft tissue reconstruction and to identify potential risk factors that may increase mortality. Methods: This single-center study retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data of patients receiving free gracilis (GM) or latissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) flap reconstruction between September 2017 and December 2021. Cases were divided into two groups (dead vs. alive), depending on patient survival. Patient demographics, comorbidities and medication, perioperative details, free flap outcome, as well as microcirculation were determined. Results: A total of 151 flaps (LDM, n = 67; GM, n = 84) performed in 147 patients with a mean age of 61.15 ± 17.5 (range 19–94) years were included. A total of 33 patients (22.45%) passed away during the study period. Deceased patients were significantly older (Alive: 58.28 ± 17.91 vs. Dead: 71.39 ± 11.13; p = 0.001), were hospitalized significantly longer (Alive: 29.66 ± 26.97 vs. Dead: 36.88 ± 15.04 days; p = 0.046) and suffered from cardiovascular (Alive: 36.40% vs. Dead: 66.70%; p = 0.002) and metabolic diseases (Alive: 33.90% vs. Dead: 54.50%; p = 0.031) more frequently, which corresponded to a significantly higher ASA Score (p = 0.004). Revision rates (Alive: 11.00% vs. Dead: 18.20%; p = 0.371) and flap loss (Alive: 3.39% vs. Dead: 12.12%; p = 0.069) were higher in patients that died by the end of the study period. Conclusions: Free flap transfer is safe and effective, even in multimorbid patients. However, patient age, comorbidities, preoperative ASA status, and medication significantly impact postoperative patient survival in the short- and mid-term and must, therefore, be taken into account in preoperative decision-making and informed consent.

AimsWrist arthroscopy is a standard procedure in hand surgery for diagnosis and treatment of wrist injuries. Even though not generally recommended for similar procedures, general administration of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) is still widely used in wrist arthroscopy.MethodsA clinical ambispective dual-centre study was performed to determine whether PAP reduces postoperative infection rates after soft tissue-only wrist arthroscopies. Retrospective and prospective data was collected at two hospitals with departments specialized in hand surgery. During the study period, 464 wrist arthroscopies were performed, of these 178 soft-tissue-only interventions met the study criteria and were included. Signs of postoperative infection and possible adverse drug effects (ADEs) of PAP were monitored. Additionally, risk factors for surgical site infection (SSIs), such as diabetes mellitus and BMI, were obtained.ResultsThe overall infection rate of SSI was zero. Neither in the PAP group (n = 69) nor in the control group (n = 109) were signs of postoperative infection observed. Observed symptoms of ADEs were three-times higher in the PAP group when compared to the control-group (16.3 vs 5.5%; p = 0.043). No major ADEs were observed, but one in ten patients in the PAP group reported mild to severe intestinal or hypersensitivity symptoms.ConclusionWe demonstrate that the number needed to treat (NNT) with PAP to prevent one postoperative infection in soft-tissue arthroscopies of the wrist is > 109. Conversely, symptoms of ADEs were reported by one out of ten patients given PAP. Considering the high NNT to prevent postoperative infection and the large number of ADEs caused by PAP, we recommend not to use PAP routinely in soft-tissue arthroscopies of the wrist. Subsequent large-scale studies should be conducted to substantiate these results.Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2023;4(4):219–225.

Recent studies conclude that a new technique for tendon transfers, the side-to-side tenorrhaphy by Fridén (FR) provides higher biomechanical stability than the established standard first described by Pulvertaft (PT). The aim of this study was to optimize side-to-side tenorrhaphies. We compared PT and FR tenorrhaphies as well as a potential improvement, termed Woven-Fridén tenorrhaphy (WF), with regard to biomechanical stability. Our results demonstrate superior biomechanical stability and lower bulk of FR and, in particular, WF over PT tenorrhaphies. The WF and FR technnique therefore seem to be a notable alternative to the established standard tenorrhaphy as they display lower bulk and higher stability, permitting successful immediate active mobilization after surgery.