FREE-FLAP MONITORING: REVIEW AND CLINICAL APPROACH

Microvascular free flap reconstruction is a routine option for coverage of a variety of tissue defects. Accurate monitoring in the postoperative period is a crucial part of successful flap surgery allowing early detection of vascular compromise and prompt intervention in flap salvaging. Despite that many safety procedures to assess flap viability have been developed, flap failure is consistently seen in 2-5% of free tissue transfers. In addition, great progress is being made in relation to various state-of-the-art technologies for flap monitoring. However, the gold standard still remains clinical monitoring at most institutions even though there is no standardized management protocol. The review should present a prospective optimal monitoring protocol and introduce some of the latest monitoring devices based on the recent literature and personal experience.