Medical and surgical management of lower extremity war-related injuries. Experience of the French Military Health Service (FMHS)

Management of combat-related extremity injuries in modern armed conflicts

While the first conflicts of the 21st century involved asymmetric warfare in the fight against terrorism, recent geopolitical events require us to prepare for the possibility of high-intensity conflicts. Modern wounding agents mainly consist of explosive devices and high-velocity bullets. Every trauma surgeon must be familiar with the mechanisms of injury specific to armed conflicts. The initial care of these injuries is based on applying damage control surgery to save the patient's life, save their limb if possible and preserve their function. Blast injuries are the most common in modern armed conflicts; the resulting combination of severe injuries can be challenging to treat. Limb reconstruction involves a sequential strategy based on simple, reliable and reproducible techniques which can be used by non-specialized surgeons working in sometimes austere situations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Expert opinion.

Masquelet technique including a multiperforated non-vascularized fibula graft for the reconstruction of massive post-traumatic bone defects in military practice

BACKGROUND

The management of extensive bone defects presents a significant challenge for military orthopedic surgeons, especially in the context of a high intensity conflict or when patients are fully treated in the field. The objective was to evaluate the induced membrane technique (IMT) including a multiperforated non-vascularized fibular graft (NVFG) for the reconstruction of massive bone defects performed in both the ideal conditions of military trauma centers and the austere environment of forward surgical units.

METHODS

A retrospective case study was conducted on patients who underwent the above procedure in various care settings between January 2019 and June 2023. Outcomes measured included the achievement of bone union, time to bone union, and the healing index (time to bone healing/length of reconstructed bone). Functional assessment was based on the Quick-DASH score and the lower extremity functional scale (LEFS).

RESULTS

Nine patients with a mean age of 37 years were included: five were managed in a role 4 medical treatment facility (MTF) and four in a role 2 MTF. Five patients had an infected bone defect before IMT application. After debridement, the mean bone defect length was 14 cm, and the mean bone defect volume was 190 cm3. The mean interval between stages was 15 weeks. The mean follow-up was 20 months. Bone union was achieved in 8/9 cases with a mean time of 8.1 months and a mean healing index of 0.58 month/cm. Only the patient with persistent humeral nonunion had a poor DASH-score. The mean LEFS was 68%.

CONCLUSIONS

In this small cohort, IMT including a multiperforated NVFG enabled successful reconstruction of massive bone defects in the femur, tibia, and humerus, even in the austere environment of forward surgical units, provided that prior infection control had been achieved.

Elbow coverage by the descending superficial radial artery flap: a clinical series and literature review

PURPOSE

Soft tissue coverage of the posterior aspect of the elbow requires thin and flexible flaps to adapt to movements without constraining them. The authors report a clinical series of reconstruction by the descending superficial radial artery (DSRA) flap, a proximal forearm perforator flap which use is rarely reported in the literature.

METHODS

Seven patients with a mean age of 50 years (range 24-88 years) were treated for a posterior elbow defect using the DSRA flap with an adipofascial pedicle. The flap was tunneled to the defect in the subcutaneous tissue or raised using the racket-like technique to avoid any pedicle compression.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up was 3.3 months (range 1-12 months). A partial necrosis of the skin paddle occurred in an 88-year-old patient. In the other cases, the flap evolution was straightforward. At the last follow-up, the appearance of the flaps was satisfactory in terms of color, texture, and thickness. No complications were observed at the donor site.

CONCLUSION

The DSRA flap with an adipofascial pedicle is a simple, reliable, and reproducible method for reconstruction of small to moderate-sized defect on the posterior aspect of the elbow. Its use is easier for defects on the posterolateral side, but it can reach the medial olecranon.

[Current role of the latissimus dorsi flap in traumatology: Analysis of the activity of a plastic surgery department in a military hospital]

Reconstructive surgery's workhorse, the latissimus dorsi flap is increasingly abandoned in favour of fasciocutaneous flaps. The purpose of this study was to analyse the methods used to perform this flap and the evolution of its indications in order to define its current place in traumatology. Forty-four cases were recorded retrospectively from January 2000 to December 2020 at HIA Percy, including 37 cases of free flaps, mainly performed for reconstruction of extensive loss of substance with bone and/or joint exposure. It was also performed in 10.8% of cases for salvage after failure of an alternative reconstruction solution. This analysis confirms the value of the latissimus dorsi flap in cases of significant substance loss in the lower limb, but also in burn patients for functional rehabilitation or to allow early rehabilitation.

Masquelet technique in military practice: specificities and future directions for combat-related bone defect reconstruction

Because of its simplicity, reliability, and replicability, the Masquelet induced membrane technique (IMT) has become one of the preferred methods for critical bone defect reconstruction in extremities. Although it is now used worldwide, few studies have been published about IMT in military practice. Bone reconstruction is particularly challenging in this context of care due to extensive soft-tissue injury, early wound infection, and even delayed management in austere conditions. Based on our clinical expertise, recent research, and a literature analysis, this narrative review provides an overview of the IMT application to combat-related bone defects. It presents technical specificities and future developments aiming to optimize IMT outcomes, including for the management of massive multi-tissue defects or bone reconstruction performed in the field with limited resources.

[Plastic surgery and fighting: Our experience during Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020]

INTRODUCTION

This work relates the experience of three French surgical missions in the care of the war wounded during the armed conflict in Nagorno Karabakh which took place from September 27 to November 10, 2020.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three surgical missions were carried out in Armenia between October 2020 and January 2021. Surgeons intervened in different hospitals, at different times of the conflict and on various war wounds.

RESULTS

The presence of a plastic surgeon proved to be essential in the care of war wounded, especially in delayed emergency and secondary care. The ortho-plastic treatment offered during these missions has proven to be effective in the reconstruction of limbs. These missions made it possible to introduce the induced membrane technique of Masquelet AC in Armenia. During our visit to the Yerevan burn center, we mentioned the very probable use of white phosphorus as an etiology in several of the cases analyzed.

CONCLUSION

We relate the particular experience of civilian surgeons in the context of a modern armed conflict. The presence of a plastic surgeon proved to be indispensable in the care of war wounded and especially in their secondary reconstructions.