title: Effect of temperature on blood flow and metabolism in a neurovascular island skin flap.
abstract: Using the buttock flap in 29 white Yorkshire pigs, blood flow and O2 consumption were measured at dermal temperatures between 35 degrees C and 15 degrees C. Flow was measured with an electromagnetic flowmeter and O2 consumption was calculated as the product of blood flow and the difference in flap A-VO2. Baseline flow was 6.6 +/- .9 (SE) ml/100 g/min at 35 degrees C and 3.1 +/- .02 (SE) ml/10 g/min at 15 degrees C. Blood flow through the flap stopped completely at a dermal temperature of 14 degrees C. Oxygen consumption was 0.16 +/- .02 (SE) ml/100 g/min at 35 degrees C and 0.04 +/- 0.01 (SE) ml/100 g/min at 15 degrees C. At 20 degrees C blood flow was 4.3 ml/100 g/min and metabolism was .04 ml/100 g/min. In other words, blood flow was 65% of baseline, while O2 consumption was only 25% of baseline. The therapeutic effect of local cooling at 20 degrees C deserves further investigation. The cessation of flow at 14 degrees C may be caused by increased plasma viscosity.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Plastische, und-Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hussl
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Guy
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000294:innervation; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine