Patient is a 34 year old male with no past medical history who was brought into the trauma bay after this extensive and complete degloving injury.

 

Patient is a 34 year old male with no past medical history who was brought into the trauma bay after this extensive and complete degloving injury. Patient was working at the airport when the signal was given for a Boeing 737 to move, unfortunately the patient was still underneath the plane as it rolled over his foot.

Degloving injuries are usually a result of high energy traumas that involve separation of the layers of skin with the underlying soft tissue. This is usually a surgical emergency that requires a formal washout and debridement as well as coverage for the exposed structures.

For this patient specifically, a below knee amputation was offered as it would provide the best functional outcome with a recovery period as little as 4-8 weeks. However, patient was adamant about keeping his leg, understanding fully that at any point in the reconstruction it can turn gangrenous and become life threatening. Ultimately half of the foot was salvaged as soft tissue coverage and vascular supply to each of the toes, was not feasible. Today the patient ambulates with a shoe filler and minimal discomfort.