Neither desferrioxamine nor lipoic acid enhances the cold ischaemic tolerance of epigastric free flaps in rats.

This study was designed to test the ability of pre- and postischaemic administration of desferrioxamine (DFX), a combination of a preischaemic single passage perfusion with hypertonic citrate solution (HCA) and postischaemic administration of DFX, and pre- and postischaemic administration of lipoic acid (LA) to enhance the cold (0 degree C) ischaemia tolerance in epigastric free flaps in inbred rats. The ischaemic intervals varied between 0 and 120 hr. The area of flap survival 2 weeks after revascularisation as a percentage of original flap size was recorded as an exponent of ischaemic tolerance. None of the treatment regimens was able to increase flap area survival. Histologically, there were no major differences between the different treatment regimens.