Improved ischemic island skin flap survival with continuous intraarterial infusion of adenosine triphosphate--magnesium chloride and superoxide dismutase: a rat model.

Neurovascular island skin flaps are still hampered by occasional necrosis of their most distal aspect. Cells subjected to prolonged hypoxic conditions become intracellularly depleted of needed metabolic substrates and eventually die. Once hypoxic conditions are improved, ischemic tissue suffers further injury from the rapid accumulation of oxygen free radicals. This study showed 53% survival of a standard random flap constructed on the inferior epigastric neurovascular bundle of a rat. Random flap survival increased to 65% after intraarterial infusion of adenosine triphosphate--magnesium chloride (ATP-MgCl2); to 75% after superoxide dismutase infusion; and to 98% after combined ATP-MgCl2 and superoxide dismutase infusion. Neither substrate appeared to act by increasing blood flow to the ischemic tissue.