Detection of flap venous and arterial occlusion using interstitial glucose monitoring in a rodent model.

2010

Background: Free tissue transfer necessitates vigilant postoperative monitoring for vessel occlusion. Unfortunately, most monitoring methods require experienced personnel and are expensive to use. Furthermore, many tests have low sensitivity, low specificity, or significant delay between vessel occlusion and detection. The authors report on a novel method of tissue monitoring that avoids these limitations by tracking interstitial glucose concentration. Methods: Vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps were elevated in adult rats based on the superior epigastric vessels. Interstitial glucose within the flaps was monitored using a transcutaneous sensor. Interstitial glucose was recorded f…