Delayed Digit Replantation: What is the Evidence?

Return-to-Work After Attempted Digit Replantation: A Systematic Review of 31 Studies

BACKGROUND

Traumatic digit amputation is a common injury with life-altering consequences for thousands of patients each year. In this study, we aim to update and expand the reported outcomes of return-to-work (RTW) and functional recovery in patients treated with digit replant after traumatic amputation.

METHODS

A PRISMA-guided systematic review was performed to identify all published articles related to digit replantation following amputation. We queried the following 4 databases: Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and PubMed-MEDLINE. A total of 31 studies were included in the analysis of return-to-work data.

RESULTS

Of the 31 included studies, 26 studies reported that 1976 digits were successfully replanted, while 27 studies reported that 300 replants failed (86.8% success rate). Among 1087 patients in these studies, 82.9% who underwent replantation returned to work. The mean RTW time in 16 studies was 4.7 months (weighted average). Return-to-work time ranged from 0 to 26 months in 12 studies. Of 352 patients who returned to work in 17 studies, 90.9% resumed their previous occupation, while 29 (8.2%) changed occupations. The RTW for finger-only replantations was significantly lower compared to thumb-only, distal digit-only, and any digit replantations (66.0% vs 82.8%; 66.0% vs 87.6%; 66.0% vs 82.9%).

CONCLUSION

Despite a declining prevalence of digit replantation surgery in recent years, this study illustrates that replantation provides beneficial outcomes for patients with a high return-to-work rate.

Hospital Transfers for Digit Replants as Cost Saving and Safe While Access to Replantation Procedures Remains Limited

BACKGROUND

Finger replantation outcomes are influenced both by injury characteristics and by hospital and patient factors, such as hospital type/location and patient gender or insurance. Finger replantation success rates have been shown to be higher at hospitals with higher volumes of finger replants. This study examines the hospital and patient factors that influence hospital transfer and successful replantation in patients experiencing traumatic finger amputation.

METHODS

A total of 5219 patients were identified in the 2008-2015 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) as having experienced traumatic finger amputation with attempted replantation. Hospital transfer and replant outcomes were compared with variables such as patient demographics and hospital characteristics using χ2 tests, t tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression.

RESULTS

Traumatic digit amputation patients were most likely to be transferred to medium or large hospitals in urban areas. Hospital transfer was 1.5 times more likely in White patients than Black or Hispanic patients and 1.6 times more likely in middle income quartile patients than the top income quartile. Postreplant amputation was more likely in patients in the lower three income quartiles, on Medicare, of older age, or with more chronic conditions. Hospital transfer was not associated with changes in the probability of requiring amputation after replantation but was associated with a decreased cost of $5000.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital transfers for finger replants are safe with respect to replant failure rates and cost-effective, saving $5000 per procedure. Gaps in equitable access to care remain, warranting further study to improve health equity.

Amputated Digit Replantations: Critical Digit Ischemia Timing, Temperature, and Other Predictors of Survival

INTRODUCTION

A common consideration for replantation success is the ischemia time following injury and the preservation temperature. A classic principle within the hand surgery community describes 12 hours of warm ischemia and 24 hours of cold ischemia as the upper limits for digit replantation; however, these limits are largely anecdotal and based on older studies. We aimed to compare survival data from the large body of literature to aid surgeons and all those involved in the replantation process in hopes of optimizing success rates.

METHODS

The PubMed database was queried on April 4th, 2023, for articles that included data on digit replantation survival in terms of temperature of preservation and ischemia time. All primary outcomes were analyzed with the Mantel-Haenszel method within a random effects model. Secondary outcomes were pooled and analyzed using the chi-square statistic. Statistical analysis and forest plot generation were completed with RevMan 5.4 software with odds ratios calculated within a 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS

Our meta-analysis identified that digits preserved in cold ischemia for over 12 hours had significantly higher odds of replantation success than the amputated digits replanted with 0-12 hours of warm ischemia time ( P ≤ 0.05). The odds of survival in the early (0-6 hours) replantation group were around 40% greater than the later (6-12 hours) replantation group ( P ≤ 0.05). Secondary outcomes that were associated with higher survival rates included a clean-cut amputation, increased venous and arterial anastomosis, a repair that did not require a vein graft, and replants performed in nonsmokers ( P ≤ 0.05).

DISCUSSION

Overall, these findings suggest that when predicting digit replantation success, time is of the essence when the digit has yet to be preserved in a cold environment. This benefit, however, is almost completely diminished when the amputated digit is appropriately maintained in a cold environment soon after injury. In conclusion, our results suggest that there is potential for broadening the ischemia time limits for digit replant survival outlined in the literature, particularly for digits that have been stored correctly in cold ischemia.

Review of Replantation Services from a Level One Trauma Center in India

The aim of this article is to examine the elements that contribute to effective operation of a specialized replantation center and to provide readers with a general idea of the outcome of replantation services in India. A dedicated high-volume center coupled with a sound referral system is the backbone of replantation services in a country. A retrospective study was done on all patients who visited a level 1 trauma center in India from November 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018, for various amputations. The medical records and digital pictures of these patients were extracted from the records and analyzed. During the study period, 77 replants were performed on 63 patients at our center. Males were 68% of the study, mostly belonging to the 20 to 40 years age group (63%). Thirty-four percent of cases were smokers. Agricultural injuries (49%) were the most common cause of amputation. Finger replantation was the most common type of replantation (82%). The rate of successful replantation was highest for scalp (100%) followed by hand (71%) and thumb (67%). Setting up dedicated replantation services is essential, especially in highly populated areas. Manpower, resources, and a protocol-led approach help in achieving optimum results. A multidisciplinary team approach with round-the-clock availability plays a vital role in intraoperative decision-making and planning postoperative rehabilitation.

Association Between Daytime vs Overnight Digit Replantation and Surgical Outcomes

Importance

Recent evidence suggests that select delayed replantation may not adversely affect digit survival; however, whether surgical timing (overnight or daytime) is associated with digit replantation outcomes is unknown.

Objective

To assess whether digit survival, complication rate, and duration of surgery are associated with time of replantation.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective case series study included all replantations performed at a single tertiary referral academic center between January 1, 2000, and August 1, 2021. Data were analyzed between October 2, 2021, and January 1, 2022. Four daytime surgery intervals were selected based on literature review. Daytime replantations started within the intervals whereas overnight replantations began outside the intervals. For each case, the procedure difficulty score and the attending surgeon expertise score were calculated. Logistic and linear regressions adjusting for confounders including procedure difficulty score and expertise score were used to assess surgical timing and outcomes. Participants were adults (aged ≥18 years) undergoing digit replantations between January 2000 and August 2021 with at least 1-month follow-up. Replantation was defined as the reattachment of a completely amputated digit that necessitated anastomosis of both artery and vein.

Exposures

Daytime or overnight digit replantation.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Viable replanted digit at 1-month follow-up, number of complications, and duration of surgery.

Results

A total of 98 patients (mean [SD] age, 39.5 [15.3] years; 136 [93%] men) and 147 digits met inclusion criteria. Overall success rate was 55%. Between 4 pm and 7 am, overnight replantations were associated with 0.4 fewer complications (β, -0.4; 95% CI, -0.8 to -0.1) and 90.7 minutes shorter operative time (β, -90.7; 95% CI, -173.6 to -7.7). A 1-point increase in surgeon expertise score was associated with 1.7 times increased odds of replantation success for all intervals (adjusted odds ratio, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2 to 2.4; P = .002). There were no differences in digit survival by surgical time.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this case series study of digit replantations, time of operation was not associated with replantation success. Overnight replantation was associated with fewer complications and shorter duration of surgery compared with daytime surgery. Results of this study suggest that overnight replantations may be performed with outcomes comparable to daytime replantations at a tertiary care academic center.