Replantation Surgery Why Aren't We Getting Better at This?

The first digital replantation was performed over 50 years ago, and soon after surgeons in countries around the world were finding great success in their outcomes. The initial wave of success, however, has been followed by somewhat disappointing results in the United States in recent years. The steadily declining number of attempts at replantation and diminishing viability rates can be attributed to several factors, many of which can be addressed with centralization of care and the modification of our own indications and contraindications. While other regions of the world still enjoy good outcomes, the United States must make a concerted effort to improve their results for these devastating injuries.