Bilateral Pedicled Superficial Epigastric Flap in the Management of Circumferential Combined Degloving and Full Thickness Burn Hand Injury—A Case Report

Abstract

We report a case of combined hand trauma in the form of circumferential degloving injury of the hand with full thickness friction burns of the hand, forearm and the distal part of the upper arm. On exploration the hand was found avascular with loss of vital structures and full thickness burns. As a salvage procedure the hand was embedded in the subcutaneous tissue of the abdomen for 4 weeks and after that elevated as an inferiorly based flap on the bilateral superficial inferior epigastric arteries. Two weeks later the hand was freed by division of the base of the flap bilaterally. The details and description of the injury, the procedure and the outcome are discussed.