Among various proposals for improving skin flap survival, lowering the blood viscosity is known to ´augment blood flow to the skin. Some authors had reported that lowering the hematocrit by hemodilution was effective in reduction of blood viscosity and improvement of microcirculation for flap survival.
Pentoxiphylline, a synthetic xanthine derivative, is a hemorrheologic agent, the action of which is to increase RBC flexibility, to reduce blood viscosity by lowering plasma fibrinogen level, and to inhibit ´platelet aggregation by releasing prostacyclin.
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The purpose of this study is to investigate whether pentoxiphylline improves skin flap survival or not, by observing the changes of blood viscosity, transcutaneous oxygen tension and flap survival rate in rabbits.
20 white New Zealand rabbits were divided into 2 groups. 10 were experimental group in which pentoxphylline was administered intravenously for 2 weeks prior to flap operation and so on. The other 10 rabbits were used as control group.
The following results were obtained;
1. Mean blood viscosity, measured at postoperative third day, was 7.64 0.57 centipoise in ex-
perimental group, and 8.69 0.49 centipoise in control group. -
2. Mean transcutaneous PO2 of normal skin in rabbits, measured preoperatively, was 55.40 10.17
mmHg´ in experimental group, and 50.40 7.72 mmHg in control group.
3. Mean transcutaneous P02 of flaps, measured at postoperative third day, was 24.45 6.52 mmHg in experimental group, and 22.50 4.22 mmHg in control group.
4. Mean flap survival rate at postoperative fifth day was 50.90 6.98% in experimental group, and 44.20 t 6.25 To in control group.
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