CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF CIGARETTE-SMOKING IN MICROVASCULAR TISSUE TRANSFERS

Circulatory crisis, attributed to cigarette, smoking in three microvas cular cases two toe transfers, one musculocutaneous flap) is reported. After anticoagulation and antispasm treatment only one transfer survi ved. Coordinated experimental studies in the rat demonstrated that cig arette smoking delayed anastomotic healing. Five days after anastomose s were performed, endothelial cells completely covered the sutures in the experimental smoking group in only 16-19% of sutures while the con trol group had a 75% coverage rate. Mechanisms and characteristics of circulatory crisis caused by cigarette smoking are discussed. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.