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Review
. 2014 Jul;7(3):228-32.
doi: 10.4103/0974-2700.136870.

The therapeutic challenges of degloving soft-tissue injuries

Affiliations
Review

The therapeutic challenges of degloving soft-tissue injuries

Rifat Latifi et al. J Emerg Trauma Shock. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Degloving soft-tissue injuries are serious and debilitating conditions. Deciding on the most appropriate treatment is often difficult. However, their impact on patients' outcomes is frequently underestimated.

Objectives: We aimed to study the incidence, clinical presentation, management and outcome of degloving soft-tissue injuries.

Materials and methods: We conducted a narrative traditional review using the key words; degloving injury and soft-tissue injuries through search engines PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus.

Results: There are several therapeutic options for treating degloving soft-tissue injuries; however, no evidence-based guidelines have been published on how to manage degloving soft-tissue injuries, although numerous articles outline the management of such injuries.

Conclusion: Degloving soft-tissue injuries are underreported and potentially devastating. They require early recognition, and early management. A multidisciplinary approach is usually needed to ensure the effective rehabilitation of these patients.

Keywords: Degloving; Morel-Lavallée lesions; soft-tissue injuries; trauma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Degloving injury of the right leg that required defatting of the skin
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Large degloving injury of the patients run by a car (b) Injury complicated by extensive necrosis within 72 hours (c) requiring major debridement
Figure 3
Figure 3
Major degloving injury in a patient with severe pelvic injury that was diagnosed late (a) requiring major debridment of skin and subcutaneous tissue
Figure 4
Figure 4
A patient with severe degloving injury at the presentation after he had been run by a tire of industrial truck (a) 24 hours later

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