Annals of vascular surgery
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The ability to salvage the mangled lower extremity is both technically challenging and time consuming. It requires the collaborative efforts among multiple surgical specialties in addition to comprehensive post-traumatic wound follow-up. Our institution has integrated a dynamic effort among these specialists in the planning and facilitating a successful limb salvage program with creation of a mangled extremity algorithm. An integral part in this process is the vascular inflow to prepare coverage for large tissue defects lacking adequate recipient targets. Utilization of long saphenous arteriovenous (AV) loop has been cited with minimal data available using larger inflow vessels in the acute trauma setting. We performed a retrospective review and describe our early experience using our protocol with AV loop creation with free flap reconstruction to salvage traumatic leg injuries. Using the data, we sought to develop a mangled extremity protocol for trauma centers to guide mangled limb salvage. ⋯ Although a small patient cohort, utilization of long saphenous vein AV loop is successful as a bridge to free flap transfer for isolated mangled lower extremities. Development and incorporation of our mangled extremity protocol to guide limb salvage has proven successful in our early experience. Long-term data need to be complied to assess patency of the free flap transfer and quality of life outcomes.
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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become an accepted treatment modality in the management of select patients with cardiopulmonary failure. As a result, its use has increased significantly over the past decade. However, the effect of complications on mortality is not clearly established. We performed a comprehensive, up-to-date meta-analysis of peer-reviewed literature focusing on the effect of vascular complications (VCs) on the survival of patients receiving venoarterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) with femoral cannulation. ⋯ The most recently available data published in the literature demonstrate a significant correlation of VCs with mortality. Therefore, aggressive attempts should be made to minimize VCs in patients with femoral VA-ECMO cannulation.