Evidence-Based Medicine: Wound Closure

Learning Objectives: After reading this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Describe various wound closure techniques available to the modern plastic surgeon, including the indications and contraindications of each. 2. Explain the fundamental concepts of wound healing as it relates to reconstruction. 3. Understand the role of commonly used reconstructive adjuncts such as negative-pressure wound therapy, dermal substitutes, and tissue expansion. 4. Assess the important patient factors that may influence the strategy for surgical wound closure. Summary: Successful wound closure requires a comprehensive approach that includes consideration of suitable surgical techniques and critical patient factors. A clear understanding of key concepts such as wound healing, flap design, and patient risk assessment is imperative to a favorable outcome. In this Maintenance of Certification/Continuing Medical Education article, the reader is provided a summary of the available surgical options for wound closure and a discussion of the algorithm used to choose the most appropriate reconstructive strategy.