RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Biodegradeable temporising matrix use in a traumatic chest wound
JF BMJ Case Reports
JO BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e246691
DO 10.1136/bcr-2021-246691
VO 14
IS 12
A1 Eliot Carrington-Windo
A1 Sam Leong
A1 Nader Ibrahim
A1 Sophie Pope-Jones
YR 2021
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/12/e246691.abstract
AB The Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery is responsible for a population of 10 million people in Wales and England. We describe the use of biodegradable temporising matrix (BTM) in a large traumatic chest wound in a 23-year-old woman. BTM is a synthetic dermal substitute and has been utilised to achieve soft tissue coverage in complex wounds. This wound was sustained after the patient fell from a tractor into a large silage rake, resulting in injuries to her chest and limbs. Following meticulous debridement, her resulting full thickness skin defect measured 30 × 30 cm extending from the sternal notch to the upper abdomen, with bone, muscle and breast tissue exposure. The central chest area is complex to reconstruct due to the contours of the breasts and tendency to contracture following skin graft reconstruction. We demonstrate the first reported use of BTM for breast reconstruction, as far as we are aware.