Bridge method of skin-flap delay.

Necrosis, a catastrophic complication of skin-falp use, is due to inadequate capillary blood flow. Delay procedures, which are based on newer information regarding skin vasculature and delay dynamics, can augment surviving-flap length. A delay procedure that used multiple skin bridges was studied in 121 flaps in 21 pigs. The result was a considerably greater amount of length augmentation than has previously been reported. This enhanced effect is related to a combination of nearly maximal sympathectomy in a highly ischemic, surgically defined experimental flap.