Nicotine on rat TRAM flap.
OBJECTIVE
The transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap is one of the preferential techniques used in breast reconstruction following mastectomy. Nicotine has a detrimental effect on cutaneous flap survival; although there are no experimental studies proving this effect on musculocutaneous flaps. The aim of this study is to verify the effect of nicotine on the rat TRAM flap.


METHODS
30 Wistar EPM-1 rats were randomly distributed in two groups: control and experimental. The animals of the control group received saline solution injected subcutaneously, in a volume of 0.2 ml, twice a day, during 28 days in the preoperative period. The animals of the experimental group were treated with nicotine, injected subcutaneously, in a dose of 2 mg/kg twice a day, during 28 days in the preoperative period. All the animals were submitted to the caudally based, right unipedicled TRAM flap. 48 hours after the procedure, a study of the viable area of the flap was done through photographic documentation. Statistical analysis was performed with nonparametric Mann-Whitney's test.


RESULTS
The experimental group had significantly greater area of necrosis when compared with the control group (p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Nicotine increased the area of necrosis of the TRAM flap, in rats.
Ely
Pedro Bins
PB
Plastic Surgery Unit, Santa Casa de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Kobayashi
Ludmila Aimi
LA
Campos
José Humberto Oliveira
JH
Gomes
Heitor Carvalho
HC
Juliano
Yara
Y
Ferreira
Lydia Masako
LM
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D009538:Nicotine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017568:Rectus Abdominis / Q000637:transplantation*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*
D009538:Nicotine