Effect of tension on recovery of the donor site of a modified forearm flap

To investigate the effect of tension on donor site recovery of modified forearm flaps (closed forearm donor site skin flaps).

From October 2018 to April 2021, 12 patients with oral cancer underwent forearm flap repair at Xuzhou Central Hospital. Handgrip strength and wrist motion were recorded before surgery. During the surgical incision at the donor site of the forearm, the triangular full-thickness skin of the donor site was used to close part of the surgical incision, and the other part of the surgical incision was directly closed and sutured. Tension was measured with a tension meter during the surgical incision at the donor site. Patients were followed up after surgery to observe whether there were postoperative complications such as necrosis and poor healing of donor site wounds, as well as forearm grip strength, wrist range of motion and appearance satisfaction.

Among the 12 patients, there was only one elderly patient with postoperative necrosis near the wrist in the donor site skin, and the average tension of the patient was 0.65 kg; the lesion healed after dressing changes. All of the other patients recovered well without postoperative complications. The mean tension of 12 patients was (0.51 ± 0.05) kg. The preoperative and postoperative grip strength of 12 patients was (23.7 ± 10.3) kg and (22.3 ± 10.7) kg, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (t = 5.872, P<0.001). The mean range of motion of the wrist was (47.6 ± 8.3)°, (45.8 ± 5.8)°; dorsiflexion (54.6 ± 3.2)°, (53.9 ± 2.3)°; radial deviation (37.0 ± 2.3)°, (36.1 ± 2.2)°; ruler deviation (27.1 ± 1.9)°, (26.4 ± 1.3)°, respectively. The t values were 1.64, 1.636, 2.116 and 1.412, and the P values were 0.129, 0.130, 0.058 and 0.186, respectively. All 12 patients were satisfied with the appearance of the donor site of the forearm.

When the average tension during suturing is less than 0.5 kg, there is a lower risk of complications at the donor site of the forearm one month after surgery, a lower risk of impaired donor site function, and a greater possibility of patient satisfaction with the appearance of the donor site.