The Effect of Enhanced Rehabilitation Program on Upper Limb Function in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Pedicle Flap Surgery

To investigate the effect of an enhanced rehabilitation program on upper limb function in patients with abdominal pedicle flap surgery, we retrospectively analyzed 70 patients who received abdominal pedicled flap surgery between 2017 and 2022. Patients were categorized into the traditional rehabilitation group (rehabilitation initiated after the stage II pedicle dissection of the abdominal pedicle flap) and the enhanced rehabilitation group (rehabilitation initiated on the first day following the stage II abdominal pedicle flap surgery). All the patients received identical rehabilitation protocols. Passive Range of Motion (PROM), activities of daily living (ADL), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) were assessed at 5 days and 1 month following the stage II surgery. The main causes of injury were electrical burns in both groups. The hospital stay of patients in the enhanced group was significantly shorter than the traditional group. One month assessment indicated both groups showed significant improvements in the PROM of shoulder flexion, abduction, and elbow extension compared to the 5 days assessment. Notably, at 5 days assessment, the enhanced group had significantly higher PROM in shoulder abduction and elbow extension compared to the traditional group. Furthermore, the enhanced group continued to exhibit higher PROM in shoulder flexion and abduction than the traditional group at one month assessment. At one month assessment, a significant increase was observed in the ADL, FIM, and MMT of both groups compared to the 5 days. The study indicated the enhanced rehabilitation program immediately following the stage I surgery can effectively improve the PROM of the shoulder and elbow and reduce the length of hospital stay for patients.