Assessing Donor Site Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life in Free Flap Microsurgery: An Overview
Donor site morbidity remains a significant concern in free flap microsurgery, with implications that extend beyond immediate postoperative outcomes to affect patients’ long-term quality of life. This review explores the multi-faceted impact of donor site morbidity on physical, psychological, social,...
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| author | Florin-Vlad Hodea Cristian-Sorin Hariga Eliza-Maria Bordeanu-Diaconescu Andrei Cretu Catalina-Stefania Dumitru Vladut-Alin Ratoiu Ioan Lascar Andreea Grosu-Bularda |
| author_facet | Florin-Vlad Hodea Cristian-Sorin Hariga Eliza-Maria Bordeanu-Diaconescu Andrei Cretu Catalina-Stefania Dumitru Vladut-Alin Ratoiu Ioan Lascar Andreea Grosu-Bularda |
| author_sort | Florin-Vlad Hodea |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Donor site morbidity remains a significant concern in free flap microsurgery, with implications that extend beyond immediate postoperative outcomes to affect patients’ long-term quality of life. This review explores the multi-faceted impact of donor site morbidity on physical, psychological, social, and occupational well-being, synthesizing findings from the existing literature. Particular attention is given to the functional limitations, sensory deficits, aesthetic outcomes, and chronic pain associated with commonly utilized free flaps. Advancements in surgical techniques, including nerve-sparing and muscle-sparing methods, as well as innovations, like perforator flaps, have demonstrated the potential to mitigate these morbidities. Furthermore, the integration of regenerative medicine strategies, such as stem cell therapy and fat grafting, and technological innovations, including virtual reality rehabilitation and biofeedback devices, has shown promise in enhancing recovery and minimizing long-term complications. Despite these advances, challenges persist in standardizing QoL assessments and optimizing donor site management. This review emphasizes the need for a holistic, patient-centered approach in reconstructive microsurgery, advocating for further research to refine current strategies, improve long-term outcomes, and develop robust tools for QoL evaluation. By addressing these gaps, reconstructive surgeons can better align surgical objectives with the comprehensive well-being of their patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e4884aa9f8dd4ed19b3cb5de760f5478 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj-art-e4884aa9f8dd4ed19b3cb5de760f54782025-01-24T13:38:32ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292024-12-011513610.3390/life15010036Assessing Donor Site Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life in Free Flap Microsurgery: An OverviewFlorin-Vlad Hodea0Cristian-Sorin Hariga1Eliza-Maria Bordeanu-Diaconescu2Andrei Cretu3Catalina-Stefania Dumitru4Vladut-Alin Ratoiu5Ioan Lascar6Andreea Grosu-Bularda7Department 11, Discipline Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 050474 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment 11, Discipline Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 050474 Bucharest, RomaniaClinic of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, 014461 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment 11, Discipline Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 050474 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment 11, Discipline Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 050474 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment 11, Discipline Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 050474 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment 11, Discipline Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 050474 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment 11, Discipline Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 050474 Bucharest, RomaniaDonor site morbidity remains a significant concern in free flap microsurgery, with implications that extend beyond immediate postoperative outcomes to affect patients’ long-term quality of life. This review explores the multi-faceted impact of donor site morbidity on physical, psychological, social, and occupational well-being, synthesizing findings from the existing literature. Particular attention is given to the functional limitations, sensory deficits, aesthetic outcomes, and chronic pain associated with commonly utilized free flaps. Advancements in surgical techniques, including nerve-sparing and muscle-sparing methods, as well as innovations, like perforator flaps, have demonstrated the potential to mitigate these morbidities. Furthermore, the integration of regenerative medicine strategies, such as stem cell therapy and fat grafting, and technological innovations, including virtual reality rehabilitation and biofeedback devices, has shown promise in enhancing recovery and minimizing long-term complications. Despite these advances, challenges persist in standardizing QoL assessments and optimizing donor site management. This review emphasizes the need for a holistic, patient-centered approach in reconstructive microsurgery, advocating for further research to refine current strategies, improve long-term outcomes, and develop robust tools for QoL evaluation. By addressing these gaps, reconstructive surgeons can better align surgical objectives with the comprehensive well-being of their patients.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/1/36free flapmicrosurgerydonor sitemorbidityquality of life |
| spellingShingle | Florin-Vlad Hodea Cristian-Sorin Hariga Eliza-Maria Bordeanu-Diaconescu Andrei Cretu Catalina-Stefania Dumitru Vladut-Alin Ratoiu Ioan Lascar Andreea Grosu-Bularda Assessing Donor Site Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life in Free Flap Microsurgery: An Overview Life free flap microsurgery donor site morbidity quality of life |
| title | Assessing Donor Site Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life in Free Flap Microsurgery: An Overview |
| title_full | Assessing Donor Site Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life in Free Flap Microsurgery: An Overview |
| title_fullStr | Assessing Donor Site Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life in Free Flap Microsurgery: An Overview |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing Donor Site Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life in Free Flap Microsurgery: An Overview |
| title_short | Assessing Donor Site Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life in Free Flap Microsurgery: An Overview |
| title_sort | assessing donor site morbidity and impact on quality of life in free flap microsurgery an overview |
| topic | free flap microsurgery donor site morbidity quality of life |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/1/36 |
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