[Intraoperative protection of free microsurgical transfer flaps: "cold storage" in HTK-1 solution]

There is a rule of thumb that an ischaemia time of 6 hours should not be exceeded when preserving a free flap. Microsurgical reconstructions sometimes require a long operation time and a long tolerance of ischaemia of the free flap. Using Bretschneider's HTK solution for the intraoperative cold storage of free flaps with a temperature of 5-7 degrees C, an ischaemia time of 12 hours should not affect the free flap, and hence the time limit of the ischaemic tolerance looses its importance. Based on Bretschneider's research results of cardioplegia and of the ischaemic tolerance of the kidney and the liver, we chose the HTK solution for the intraoperative protection of free microsurgical flaps.