Factors involved in salvaging ischaemic rabbit skin flaps: ATP and free radicals but not thromboxane.
Rabbit epigastric free flaps were subjected to ischaemia at 25 degrees C for 24 hours. At the time of revascularisation the flaps were infused intra-arterially with one of the following: Hanks balanced salt solution (control), the high energy phosphates PEP/ATP, the thromboxane synthetase inhibitor dazoxiben hydrochloride, the free radical scavenger SOD and a combination of all these agents (treated groups). Control ischaemic flap survival at post-ischaemia day 7 was 23.5%, while the other treatments resulted in improved flap survival of 43.5% (p less than 0.025), 23.5% (not significant), 38.6% (p less than 0.05) and 35.7% (p less than 0.05) respectively. None of these agents improved post-ischaemic blood flow significantly. These results would support the use of PEP/ATP or SOD in the clinical treatment of failing ischaemic skin flaps but do not support the use of dazoxiben hydrochloride.
Knight
K R
KR
Microsurgery Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
Dvir
E
E
Kawabata
H
H
Coe
S A
SA
Macleod
A M
AM
O'Brien
B M
BM
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010728:Phosphoenolpyruvate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011817:Rabbits; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013930:Thromboxane-A Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
D007093:Imidazoles; C029166:dazoxiben; D010728:Phosphoenolpyruvate; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D013930:Thromboxane-A Synthase