Effect of Temperature on Blood Flow and Metabolism in a Neurovascular Island Skin Flap

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Abstract
Using the buttock flap in 29 white Yorkshire pigs, blood flow and O2 consumption were measured at dermal temperatures between 35°C and 15°C. Flow was measured with an electromagnetic flowmeter and O2 consumption was calculated as the product of blood flow and the difference in flap A–V O2. Baseline flow was 6.6 ± .9 (SE) ml/100 g/min at 35°C and 3.1 ± .02 (SE) ml/100 g/min at 15°C. Blood flow through the flap stopped completely at a dermal temperature of 14°C. Oxygen consumption was 0.16 ± .02 (SE) ml/100 g/min at 35°C and 0.04 ± 0.01 (SE) ml/100 g/min at 15°C. At 20°C blood flow was 4.3 ml/100 g/min and metabolism was .04 ml/100 g/min. In other words, blood flow was 65% of baseline, while O2 consumption was only 25% of baseline. The therapeutic effect of local cooling at 20°C deserves further investigation. The cessation of flow at 14°C may be caused by increased plasma viscosity.
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