Delayed flaps have been known as a good method to improve circulation and viability of skin flaps and these are frequently used in the field of reconstructive surgery.
Tissue oxygen levels have been monitored in skin flaps by various means and have been shown to reflect circulation. Transcutaneous PO₂might reflect circulation in certain skin sites, assuming that a normal arterial PO₂exists.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether delayed flaps improve circulation of skin flap or not, by observing the change of transcutaneous PO₂and viability of skin flaps.
In this study, with a modified Clark-type oxygen electrode, transcutaneous PO₂ were measured on the delayed flaps and undelayed flaps in rabbits. We compared the mean transcutaneous PO₂value and mean flap survival rate of delay flaps with those of undelayed flaps.
The results were as follows;
1. The mean transcutaneous PO₂of preoperative normal skin of rabbits was 56.15 ± 6.56 mmHg.
2. The mean transcutaneous PO₂of laps at postoperative 1st,3rd and 5th days was 23.00 ± 4.56, 25.40 ± 5.46 mmHg and 28.65 ± 4.97 mmHg respectively in undelayed group, and 28.10 ± 3.49 mmHg, 33.95 ± 5.19 mmHg and 36.90 ± 4.61 mmHg respectively in delayed group.
3. The mean transcutaneous PO₂of flaps at postoperative 1st,3rd and 5th days in comparison to preoperative normal skin of the same animal (% of mormal) was 48.84 ± 4.78%, 45.10 ± 6.48%, and 50.93 ± 4.58% respectively in undelayed group, and 50.09 ±2.59%, 60.28 ± 3.39% and 65.85 ± 5.26% respectively in delayed group.
The mean transcutaneous PO₂of delayed group was about 28.5% higher than that of undelayed group.(P<0.01)
4. The mean survival rate of flaps on postoperative 5th day was 44.40 ±3.75% in undelayed group, and 55.80 ±5.35% in delayed group.(P<0.01).
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