Effect of hyperbaric oxygen on pedicle flaps with compromised circulation.

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Vascular Surgery
• Oxygen Therapy

Background:

• Vascular insufficiency in pedicle island flaps compromises tissue survival.
• Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) is explored for its potential to improve flap viability.
• Understanding HBO's effect on different types of vascular insufficiency is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on the survival of experimental rat pedicle island flaps.
• To assess HBO's efficacy in flaps with arterial, venous, and combined arteriovenous insufficiency.
• To quantify the improvement in flap survival and blood flow under HBO treatment.

Main Methods:

• Experimental study using 80 male Wistar rats with pedicle island flaps.
• Flaps were subjected to different vascular insufficiency models (arterial, venous, combined).
• Groups were treated with or without hyperbaric oxygen (HBO); survival assessed via laser Doppler flowmetry and tissue length measurement.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in flap survival and blood flow were observed among untreated groups.
• HBO treatment significantly increased flap tissue survival length across all vascular insufficiency types (P < 0.05).
• HBO demonstrated the most pronounced improvement in flap survival for arterial insufficiency.

Conclusions:

• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is effective in improving the survival of experimental skin flaps with vascular compromise.
• HBO enhances both flap survival length and microvascular flow, with greater benefits in arterial insufficiency.
• This study supports HBO as a potential adjunctive therapy for improving flap outcomes in clinical settings.