Clinical Research Directory

The Lateral, Anterior, Medial (LAM) Femoral Cutaneous Block: A Case Series Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA

Skin donor sites in patients undergoing split-thickness skin grafting surgeries can be very painful postoperatively. This site is most often the anterolateral thigh, the pain at which location can traditionally be covered by a fascia iliaca nerve block, although that comes with the disadvantage of losing motor functions in the femoral nerve distribution. The LAM nerve block, which is relatively new, aims to provide analgesia in the distribution of the lateral and anterior femoral cutaneous nerves. In short, this nerve block would decrease the sensation of the anterolateral thigh area without affecting the motor function of the leg. Investigators aim to study the consistency and coverage size of sensation changes by mapping out the area after the block in each patient.

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for Split Thickness Skin Grafting to the Lower Leg After Excision of Skin Tumour: A Multicentre Randomised Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effect of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) versus traditional dressings on the incidence of transplant infection in adult patients undergoing split-thickness skin grafting (STSG) to the lower leg following excision of a skin tumour. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does NPWT reduce the incidence of transplant infection within three months after STSG? Does NPWT improve secondary outcomes such as graft take, reduce reoperations, complications, and resource use? Researchers will compare patients treated with NPWT to patients treated with traditional dressings to see if NPWT results in lower infection rates and better clinical outcomes. Participants will: Undergo excision of a skin tumour on the lower leg followed by STSG. Be randomized to receive either NPWT or traditional dressings applied over the graft. Follow a structured postoperative care and mobilisation schedule. Attend follow-up visits at day 5 and day 14 postoperatively and be monitored through medical record review up to three months after surgery.