Increased survival of ischaemic musculocutaneous flaps in rats after acupuncture

The effects of acupuncture on survival of ischaemic musculocutaneous flaps were investigated in the rat. A dorsal cranially based standard flap (2 X 7 cm) was elevated and sutured back in position. The percentage survival of the flaps was estimated after 6 days. Manual acupuncture, electro-acupuncture but not superficial acupuncture significantly increased the survival of the flaps compared to untreated controls. The highest flap survival (92%) was obtained with repeated post-operative high-intensity electro-acupuncture. It is concluded that acupuncture treatment markedly increases experimental flap survival and may be of clinical importance for treatment of local ischaemia.