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. 2023 Jul 6;24(1):556.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-023-06628-y.

Clinical applications of skin traction technique with adjustable tension in treatment of large area skin defects

Md Israil Nadaph  1 , Chong Meng  1 , Xuejian Wu  2
Affiliations

Clinical applications of skin traction technique with adjustable tension in treatment of large area skin defects

Md Israil Nadaph et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Objective: To explore the clinical applications of the adjustable skin traction technique in the treatment of large area skin defects.

Research design: A prospective study.

Background: The skin is the largest organ of the human body and skin tissue exposed to external environment which makes it vulnerable to damage. There are many reasons for skin defects such as trauma, infection, burns, scars, tumors resection, inflammation, pigmented nevus, etc. Skin traction is the application of pulling force to the trunk or extremities for immobilization, fracture reduction and deformity correction. This technique accurately controls skin expansion which is safe, convenient and accelerates wound healing.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 80 patients suffered from large area skin defects in the department of orthopedics, the first affiliated hospital of Zhengzhou University from September 2019 to January 2023. There were 40 patients in the experimental group who underwent skin traction. In contrast, 40 people in the control group underwent skin flaps or skin grafts without skin traction. The inclusion criteria include large area skin defects, normal peripheral skin & blood supply, normal vital organs, no severe coagulation dysfunction etc. Male & female with and without skin traction are 22 & 18 and 25 & 15 respectively. The skin traction device used was a hook and single rod type. The skin defect area was approximately 15 cm × 9-43 cm × 10 cm.

Results: Postoperatively, the experimental group with traction showed 2 cases of skin infection, 1 case of skin necrosis and 3 cases of inflammation recurrence. In contrast, the control group without traction showed 8 cases of skin infection, 6 cases of skin necrosis and 10 cases of inflammation recurrence. Skin infection (P = 0.04), skin necrosis (P = 0.02) and inflammatory response (P = 0.03) represented significant differences between two groups. There was also a significant difference in hospitalization costs (P = 0.001).

Conclusion: Skin traction has huge clinical applications including a shorter hospital stay, faster wound healing, lower hospitalization cost, high satisfaction rate, and a fair skin appearance after surgery. It is an effective method of treating skin and musculoskeletal defects.

Keywords: Skin defects; Skin necrosis; Skin traction; VAS; Visual analogue scale; Wound healing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Structure diagram of skin traction device. 1.limit nut, 2-limit screw, 3-fixing hook, 4-threaded rod, 5 -scale tube, 6-spring, 7-adjusting screw sleeve, 8-fixing pin screw
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Schematic diagram of skin traction device. 1-limit nut, 2-limit screw, 3-fixing hook, 4-threaded rod, 5-scale tube, 6-spring, 7-adjusting screw sleeve, 8-fixing pin screw, 9-traction pin
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The real design of a skin traction device used in our department of orthopedics
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Large area skin defects in left leg due to trauma repaired by skin traction technique
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Poor blood circulation site in large area due to accidental trauma repaired by skin traction technique and it’s postoperative view
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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