Summary
If a patient can safely be subjected to a lengthy operation, an age greater than fifty is not a contraindication to the performance of a microvascular procedure. We have presented a series of 19 consecutive replanted parts and two free flaps performed in patients whose age exceeded 50 years. There was a 100% success rate in these cases. The indications for replantation are the same as in the younger age group; multiple amputations, amputation of the thumb; and, occasionally, single digit amputations (especially if the amputation is beyond the insertion of the sublimis tendon).
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References
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Harris, G.D., Finseth, F., Buncke, H.J. et al. Microvascular procedure in patients over fifty years of age. Chir Plastica 6, 37–41 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00264707
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00264707