title: Late digital replantation failure: pathophysiology and risk factors.
abstract: It is generally accepted that replanted digits surviving at least 1 week following surgery rarely succumb to ischemic necrosis. Presented here are 2 patients who experienced late digital replantation failure. The first patient is an 8-year-old boy who had his index finger replanted at the proximal phalangeal level. After 16 days of viability, the replanted digit became swollen and subsequently necrosed. The second patient is a 35-year-old man with a history of smoking and intravenous drug use who underwent replantation of his avulsed thumb at the metacarpophalangeal joint. The replanted thumb was viable at the 2-week follow-up, but began to show ischemic changes at 3 weeks and eventually required revision amputation at the interphalangeal level. Both of these patients demonstrate late digital replantation failure--an unusual and poorly understood phenomenon. A discussion of possible risk factors and potential pathophysiology is presented.
authors.affiliation: Medical City Dallas, TX 75230, USA.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Concannon
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: May
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D012092:Replantation; D012307:Risk Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology