BACKGROUND: Monitoring of free flaps after surgery is vitally important, especially in the first few hours because the timing of reoperation can determine flap salvage or loss. To date, no study has examined the decision to reoperate on a flap based on the objective measure of glycemia or a comparison between flaps that showed good outcomes and those that showed vascular damage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of blood glucose measurements within the flap as a method for monitoring free flaps and to compare the efficacy of this method with that of clinical assessments. METHODS: The study was prospective, included 16 patients with free flaps, and was conducted from May 2012 to July 2012. A team of professionals not involved in the surgery evaluated capillary glycemia. Flaps were clinically evaluated during the immediate postoperative period, on ICU admission, at every 3 hours, and as needed. RESULTS: Of the 16 patients, 5 (31.3%) had venous thrombosis in the first 24 hours. Statistically significant differences were noted in capillary glycemia in patients with or without venous thrombosis in measurements obtained 6, 9, and 12 hours after surgery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of capillary glycemia was not superior to clinical evaluation by an experienced professional for the detection of venous thrombosis within free flaps.
Microsurgery; Surgical flaps; Venous thrombosis
