A survey of how a region's A&E units manage pretibial lacerations.

Pretibial lacerations are an important cause of morbidity, particularly in elderly patients. When treated inappropriately these wounds may take a long time to heal. For example, primary suture may result in flap necrosis and delayed healing, although the use of adhesive tapes may reduce the mean healing time from 53 to 39 days. De-fatting and laying the pretibial flap back on the wound have been shown to produce a similar mean healing time of 40.7 days. However, conservative management with dressings has been shown to result in an even longer average healing time of 65 days.