RESUMO
With the limitations of surgical reconstructive procedures, the growing number of gunshot wounds, burns, and work accidents in Mexico that result in complex facial deformities leaves only 1 option-face transplantation. The National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition "Salvador Zubiran" (INCMNSZ) has performed transplants since 1971. We at INCMNSZ undertook the 1st bilateral upper-limb transplantation in Latin America in 2012. We are willing to continue in this manner toward conducting face transplantation at our institute. To this end, we identified and solved various challenges. The 1st challenge was acceptance and inclusion of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) within general Mexican health law and approval of the face transplantation procedure. Subsequently, the health ministry provided a license to INCMNSZ to perform the procedure. The 2nd challenge concerned who would pay for the procedure. The costs will be paid by the patient (1st-party payer), social security institutions (2nd-party payers), and the health ministry (3rd-party payer). The 3rd challenge was to maintain ongoing surgical training of the team using cadavers. The fourth challenge was to locate donors; toward this end, we developed a campaign for promoting face donation in social media, making a comic book, and training organ and tissue coordinators to further VCA. Thus, INCMNSZ has the legal, administrative, medical, and surgical wherewithal to accomplish face transplantation.
Assuntos
Face/cirurgia , Traumatismos Faciais/cirurgia , Transplante de Face/métodos , Doadores de Tecidos , Cadáver , Traumatismos Faciais/epidemiologia , Humanos , Incidência , México/epidemiologia , Alotransplante de Tecidos Compostos Vascularizados/métodosRESUMO
For patients with severe hand deformities due to rheumatoid arthritis, we propose an allotransplantation of an osteomyotendinose structure (OMTS), preserving the recipient's skin and sensory nerves. Our objective was to develop the surgical technique in a 10 cadavers, five as donors and five as recipients. The donor's hand was 10% to 15% smaller than the recipient's. Dissections were performed by two surgical teams under magnification. In the donor, the OMTS was procured at the distal third of the forearm, maintaining the integrity of the arterial system, with its concomitant veins and motor branches of the median and ulnar nerves, leaving the skin envelope. In the recipient, the OMTS was removed, taking care to preserve the cutaneous cover with the digital arteries in continuity with the superficial palmar arch and radial and ulnar arteries. Also, the digital nerves were maintained in the skin flap, in continuity with the median and ulnar nerves. Their motor branches were divided after emergence from the main nerves. The superficial dorsal veins and radial nerve were kept adhered to the cutaneous cover. Then, the donor OMTS was placed within the recipient cutaneous flap; all the anatomic structures were repaired. The average surgical time was 780 minutes. Methylene blue was present in the digital arteries. There were no difficulties in the anatomic repair. The surgical technique is quite laborious, especially the dissection of the recipient interdigital spaces. Due to the requirement for arterial system integrity, the cutaneous flap must be viable. Also, the allotransplanted OMTS has all necessary conditions to obtain good tissue perfusion for subsequent function. Procurement without skin permits a greater opportunity to find donors, and greater social and personal acceptance by the recipient.
Assuntos
Artrite Reumatoide/complicações , Deformidades Adquiridas da Mão/cirurgia , Transplante de Mão , Transplante Homólogo/métodos , Cadáver , Mãos/irrigação sanguínea , Mãos/inervação , Deformidades Adquiridas da Mão/etiologia , Humanos , Retalhos Cirúrgicos , Doadores de TecidosRESUMO
In the treatment of venous insufficiency unsuitable for surgical correction in replanted digits, a small ungual window was surgically created to infiltrate subcutaneous heparin in the congested digit. The initial heparin dose was 1000 units. This dose made possible a continuous bleeding during 24 to 48 hours, solely through the ungual window. Further doses were applied based on the degree of congestion of the replanted digit, but usually it was necessary to infiltrate up to 500 units of heparin every 24 to 48 hours until vascular stability was achieved. Three patients were treated with this technique. One opted for quitting the treatment. A replanted thumb suffered venous congestion on the seventh postoperative day and was treated with local subcutaneous heparin for 3 days. A replanted fingertip suffered venous thrombosis 24 hours after surgery and was treated likewise for 18 days. In these two patients, success was attained. Blood transfusions were carried out in the latter two, and none had any systemic changes in partial thromboplastin or thrombin time. This treatment is based on the mechanism of action of heparin at high doses but applied only to the congested segment. Besides their anticoagulant effect through antithrombin, high doses of heparin slow platelet aggregation, may induce angiogenesis, and have a longer-than-normal half-life. With the above technique, heparin has been applied to the congested segment at an approximate dose of 33,000 to 40,000 units/kg, and continuous bleeding solely through the ungual window for 24 to 48 hours has been achieved, which has allowed us to save two replanted segments with no complications at all. This method may offer another alternative for the medical treatment of venous insufficiency in replanted segments.
Assuntos
Anticoagulantes/uso terapêutico , Dedos/irrigação sanguínea , Dedos/cirurgia , Heparina/uso terapêutico , Reimplante , Insuficiência Venosa/tratamento farmacológico , Adulto , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Injeções Subcutâneas , MasculinoRESUMO
A transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous free flap was electively performed for reconstructing the cutaneous cover in a patient during the early puerperium (12 hr after delivery). This flap was chosen because of the natural expansion achieved by pregnancy, and because it would cover the entire area to be reconstructed. During surgery, considerable vasodilation and continuous bleeding were encountered, as well as severe spasm of the arteries and veins both in the flap pedicle and at the recipient site. This spasm eased when local papaverine was used, and blood flow was interrupted but recurred as soon as the artery or vein had contact with the patient's blood. The administration of systemic papaverine caused dilation of flap and recipient vessels, but also of uterine vessels, with severe hemorrhage. Under such circumstances, the systemic use of papaverine was interrupted and systemic oxytocin was administered, with subsequent decrease in tissue perfusion and necrosis of the transplanted flap.