title: Complications after free flap surgery: do we need a standardized classification of surgical complications?
abstract: Our main objective was to apply a standard classification to surgical complications after free flap surgery for reconstructions of the head and neck. We used the modified Clavien-Dindo classification in a cohort of 79 patients who were having reconstructions with jejunal free flaps simultaneously with resections of oral and oropharyngeal cancer. The most common minor complication was the need for a blood transfusion, and the most common major complication of a respiratory nature. The medical complications, and those at the recipient site and the donor site were 53/79 (67%), 44/79 (56%), and 9/79 (11%), respectively. The Clavien-Dindo classification is suitable and can easily be used to evaluate postoperative complications after free tissue transfer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cranio-, Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. christos.perisanidis@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perisanidis
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Herberger
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papadogeorgakis
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seemann
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eder-Czembirek
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tamandl
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heinze
authors.forename: Panayiotis A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Kyzas
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanatas
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Klaus-Dietrich
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ewers
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps; D006257:Head / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D009333:Neck / Q000601:surgery*; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000145:classification*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures