Effects of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning in Cutaneous Microcirculation of Anterolateral Thigh Flaps

Background: In plastic and reconstructive surgery, free flaps are routinely used for treatment of soft tissue defects. Treatment strategies aim at reducing or preventing flap necrosis by conditioning tissue tolerance against ischemia. Although previous studies indicate that remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a systemic phenomenon, only a few studies have focused on the elucidation of its mechanisms of action. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the microcirculatory effects of remote ischemic preconditioning on a potential free flap location in a human in-vivo setting for the first time.

Conclusion: Remote ischemic preconditioning improves cutaneous tissue oxygen saturation, arterial capillary blood flow and postcapillary venous flow in a remote free flap donor location. To what extent remote preconditioning might ameliorate the reperfusion injury of free flap transplantation, further clinical trials have to evaluate both in the means of microcirculatory assessment and partial or total flap loss as end points of these studies.