IBUPROFEN TREATMENT OF ISCHEMIC MUSCULOCUTANEOUS FLAPS

The nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug ibuprofen was tested as a poten tial agent in the pharmacological management of ischemia and reperfusi on injury of swine flaps. After 6 hours of global ischemia, ibuprofen treatment was found to significantly improve the postischemic musculoc utaneous flap survival. This was demonstrated by a dramatic 30.4 +/- 9 .3% (p less-than-or-equal-to 0.005) improvement in ischemic muscle sur vival, whereas the skin survival of ischemic musculocutaneous flaps wa s only moderately improved by 6.0 +/- 3.2% (p less-than-or-equal-to 0. 05). Thus, ibuprofen is potentially a powerful and effective treatment agent in the management of critically ischemic flaps and replants wit h high skeletal muscle content.