The Use of iNPWT for Management of ALT Flap Donor Site Wound

Not Applicable

Brief Summary: Primary closure or skin grafting of the donor site after harvest of a anterolateral thigh flap (ALT) is associated with significant morbidity. Incisional negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) may decrease complications in high-risk incisions. Successful use of NPWT has been reported in the treatment of ALT flap donor site wounds in a retrospective observational study, but no prospective study of NPWT application in the ALT flap donor site has been reported. This study aims to assess the incidence of complications at ALT flap donor site with an incisional NPWT device, PREVENA™. A prospective, controlled, pair-matched study has been designed to compare the effectiveness, complication rate, and scar quality of ALT flap donor site between using incisional NPWT and conventional bolster dressing.

Detailed Description: Primary closure or skin grafting of the donor site after harvest of a anterolateral thigh flap (ALT) is associated with significant morbidity. Incisional negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) may decrease complications in high-risk incisions. Successful use of NPWT has been reported in the treatment of ALT flap donor site wounds in a retrospective observational study, but no prospective study of NPWT application in the ALT flap donor site has been reported. This study aims to assessed the incidence of complications at ALT flap donor site with an incisional NPWT device, PREVENA™. A prospective, controlled, pair-matched study has been designed to compare the effectiveness, complication rate, and scar quality of ALT flap donor site between using incisional NPWT and conventional bolster dressing.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Experimental: negative pressure wound therapy (PREVENA™ Incision Management System)	NPWT	Wound of ALT donor site will be cared under PREVENA™ Incision Management System
Placebo Comparator: conventional dressing	Traditional wound care	Wound of ALT donor site will be cared by traditional dressing and care.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Development of wound dehiscence or other wound complications in the ALT flap donor site area	6 weeks	Development of wound dehiscence or other wound complications in the ALT flap donor site area during the first 6 weeks postoperatively. Wound dehiscence is defined as the splitting apart or rupturing of the margins of a previously closed wound along some or all of its length. Surgical site infection (SSI) was reported according to the revised criteria outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. To achieve a higher degree of objectivity, we will also adopt the modified ASEPSIS score criteria and definitions. The primary outcomes are assessed at the standardized follow-up visits by nurses and physicians in the hospital or in the outpatient clinic, who are not connected to the study and blinded to dressing allocation. The presence of dehiscence/infection at the ALT flap donor site, total or partial skin graft loss, and the need for another surgical procedure to the donor site are recorded.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
donor site scar quality	12 weeks	irst, we will use the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) for evaluation at post-operative 12 weeks. The VSS assesses four variables: vascularity, height/thickness, pliability and pigmentation. Each variable includes ranked subscales that are summed to obtain a total score ranging from 0 to 13, with 0 representing normal skin and 13 representing maximum alterations of the skin. The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), which is a reliable and consistent tool used to assess scar quality, will also be employed.