title: Venous endothelial changes after experimental cooling of free flaps.
abstract: The free epigastric rabbit flap was used to observe morphological alterations in the microvasculature following prolonged hypothermic ischemic intervals. Free flaps were raised, cooled 1-6 days, and reanastomosed. The epigastric artery, vein, and dermal vessels were examined by electron microscopy. Efforts to keep flap tissues in the cold less than or equal to 5 days were successful (85% of flaps survived following reanastomosis N = 15). Flap failures were accompanied by extensive disruption to the endothelial cells of the epigastric vein. The findings support the efficacy of a cooling period less than or equal to 5 days for free flaps. The morphological alterations in the venous endothelium of the flap also suggest a plausible explanation for flap failures which occur in spite of patent anastomotic sites.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003470:Culture Media; D004727:Endothelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006085:Graft Survival; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014021:Tissue Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D014680:Veins / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media