Epoprostenol & Its Use in Microvascular Surgery – A Useful Aid to Flap Salvage Secondary to Recalcitrant Vasospasm?

Author Info

Suzanne Beecher Gráinne Bourke E Jason Kelly

Corresponding Author

Suzanne Beecher
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland

A B S T R A C T

Systemic intravenous epoprostenol, as well as being a vasodilator, is the most potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation known. Early research carried out on its use in microvascular surgery showed promising results in preventing thrombosis and improving flap survival rates, however interest in its use in microsurgery has diminished in recent years. In this report we describe its use in successful free flap salvage and discuss its role in microsurgery.

Article Info

Article Type

Case Report

Publication history

Received: Fri 30, Oct 2020
Accepted: Wed 11, Nov 2020
Published: Tue 01, Dec 2020

Copyright

© 2021 Suzanne Beecher. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.31487/j.SCR.2020.12.01