Contact Cooling of Random-Pattern Cutaneous Flaps: Does it Increase Necrosis?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cooling after surgery reduces pain, swelling and ecchymosis. However, the fear of adverse effects of vasoconstriction caused by cooling may prevent its use when the skin is undermined extensively, for example, after rhytidectomy. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the contact cooling of random-pattern skin flaps increases the area of necrosis observed. METHODS: Twenty-eight random-pattern skin flaps (4 × 10 cm) were raised on four pigs. Flaps were divided into three groups control, intermittently cooled and continuously cooled. Pads connected to a ThermaZone cooling device delivered local hypothermia in the range of 4-6 °C for 24 h postoperatively. ImageJ software was used to calculate the area of necrosis on each flap on postoperative day 7, confirmed with histological analysis. RESULTS: The average areas of necrosis observed were as follows control (17.61 cm2; SD 5.23), intermittent cooling (15.65 cm2; SD 3.76) and continuous cooling (14.16 cm2; SD 3.91). An ANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences between the three interventions (p = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative continuous or intermittent cooling does not increase the area of necrosis in random-pattern flaps. In fact, a trend was observed, demonstrating decreasing area of necrosis with increased periods of hypothermia. NO LEVEL ASSIGNED This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors. www.springer.com/00266 .