title: Arterial crush injury causes decrease in tissue perfusion at the level of the microcirculation in skeletal muscle flap.
abstract: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of crush injuries to the feeding arteries of a muscle flap on microcirculatory haemodynamics. Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three experimental groups for intravital microscopy of the cremaster muscle flap. Group 1 served as control. In group 2 the common iliac artery and in group 3 additionally the lower abdominal aorta was crushed with a Kocher clamp (17.4 N) over 5 min. Microcirculatory parameters (red blood cell velocity, vessel diameter, and capillary perfusion) were monitored before and 2 h after crush. In the one-level crush group, red blood cell velocities significantly decreased by 39.17% (P=0.046) in first order arterioles and by 32. 91% (P=0.0106) in second order arterioles. In capillary perfusion, a drop of 48.02% (P=0.0039) was noted. In the two-level crush group, red blood cell velocities significantly dropped over 32.06% (P=0. 0250) in first order arterioles, 35.91% (P=0.0065) in second order arterioles, and 45.69% (P=0.0782) in first order venules. Capillary perfusion was reduced by 20.16% (P=0.374). Arterial crush injuries as possible thrombogenic insults may result in a significant decrease in skeletal muscle perfusion although the blood supply through the crushed supplying vessel is maintained.
authors.affiliation: Dep. of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Krapohl
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mailänder
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siemionow
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giunta
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Zins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000293:injuries; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply*