Transplantation of a latissimus dorsi flap after nearly 6 hr of extracorporal perfusion: A case report

Prolonged ischemia of tissues inevitably leads to their necrosis. This is especially relevant in the case of transplantation or replantation. In such situations, reperfusion in a timely manner might not be possible due to transportation times or other unforeseen complications. Therefore, a readily available and simple method to oxygenate the tissue and thus widen the time frame to reperfusion seems desirable. Here, we present the case of extracorporal perfusion of a latissimus dorsi (LD) flap that was successfully transplanted after nearly 6 hr of ischemia. A 41‐year‐old patient suffered multiple injuries including complete severance of the popliteal artery requiring emergency bypass. After stabilization of the patient and subsequent debridement, a LD flap was performed for soft tissue coverage. However, there was an acute occlusion of the bypass during flap inset. To salvage the free flap, a one‐way extracorporal perfusion of the flap with heparinized isotonic saline solution was performed for a total of 5 hr and 47 min. The flap survived with minimal tip necrosis. This case report describes the application of a simple extracorporal perfusion technique for salvage of a free flap over a prolonged ischemia time and discusses the relevant literature. Due to its ease and quickness of application as well as ubiquitous availability, it might serve as a valuable tool in cases of acute problems with the recipient vessels or other incidents where several hours of ischemia time are to be anticipated.