The 'reading man flap' for pressure sore reconstruction

• Published in: Indian journal of plastic surgery 2011-09, Vol.44 (3), p.448-452
• Main Authors: Sapountzis, Stamatis, Park, Hyoung Joon, Kim, Ji Hoon, Chantes, Achilleas, Beak, Rong Min, Heo, Chan Yeong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Local flap; Original; Plastic surgery; pressure sore; Pressure ulcers; reading man′ flap; Surgical techniques
• ISSN: 0970-0358; 1998-376X
• DOI: 10.4103/0970-0358.90819

The treatment of pressure sores represents a significant challenge to health care professionals. Although, pressure wound management demands a multidisciplinary approach, soft tissue defects requiring reconstruction are often considered for surgical management. Myocutaneous and fasciocutaneous flaps can provide stable coverage of pressure sores. Here, we describe our experience using a recent fasciocutaneous flap, which is named 'reading man' flap, in sacral, ischial, and trochanteric pressure sores. During a period of 1 year the authors operated 16 patients, 11 men, and 5 women, using the reading man flap. The ages of the patients ranged from 24 to 78 years. The location of pressure sores was 8 sacral, 5 ischial, and 3 trochanteric pressure sores. The mean size of pressure sores was 8 cm × 9 cm. All pressure sores covered bt the Reading Man flap healed asymptomatically. After follow-up of 2-8 months, no recurrences were encountered and no further surgical intervention was required. The reading man flap was found to be a useful technique for the closure of pressure sore in different anatomic locations. The advantage of tension-free closure and the minimal additional healthy skin excision made this flap a useful tool in pressure sore reconstructions.