Burn wounds that are chronic, full thickness, or undergo delayed healing across specific anatomic areas pose a reconstructive challenge. Many resulting burn defects are in hard to reconstruct areas such as joints, dorsal hand and foot, or first webspaces where there is a paucity of tissue in a bed of surrounding scar tissue. Reconstructive options such as skin grafts may have suboptimal functional and aesthetic outcomes while traditional fasciocutaneous free transfer reconstruction tends to be bulky. The Superficial Circumflex Iliac Artery Perforator (SCIP) flap is a thin fasciocutaneous flap that has many advantages including a reliable anatomic system, minimal donor morbidity, and provides a thin flap ideal for contouring.
Purpose: the aim of this study is to review the use of SCIP flaps in the Western Australian state-wide adult burn unit.
Methods: this study is a retrospective case study review. Demographic information, treatment data, and post-operative course are described.
Results: A total of 9 SCIP flaps were completed from 2019 to present. All patients were male with the most common etiology being electrical burns (3, 33.3%). Areas reconstructed were upper extremity (6, 60%; with hand being the most common (5 of the 6 cases)) and lower extremity (3, 33.3%). There were no major complications (no takebacks, flap failure, donor morbidity, or infections). No patients required secondary flap thinning. All patients were satisfied with the aesthetic and functional outcome.
Conclusions: The SCIP flap is a thin fasciocutaneous flap ideal for reconstructing challenging defects.