Disparities in Delays to Lower Extremity Free Flap Reconstructions

Patients who experience delays to flap were more likely to be a minority, have preoperative infections, delayed time to consult, and hypertension. Although postoperative infection was correlated with ND, DF patients were associated with preoperative infections. This suggests that there may be a disparity of infection management, susceptibility to infection, and flap recognition that lead to delays to lower extremity reconstruction. Larger prospective studies may be helpful to further evaluate reasons for delays.