Improved vitality of experimental random dorsal skin flaps in rats treatedwith enriched cell culture medium

A defined, serum-free cell culture medium supplemented with nonsteroidal an abolic hormones, insulin, thyroxin, and growth hormone was found to acceler ate wound healing by stimulating vascularized granulation tissue formation, epithelialization, and angiogenesis. The aim of this work was to study the effect of cell culture medium on the survival rate of cephalically based r andom dorsal skin flaps in an animal model. A total of 77 Sprague-Dawley ra ts were randomized into five treatment groups: pharmacologic delay with cel l culture medium, flap enhancement with cell culture medium, surgical delay , biological delay with saline, and control. Statistically significant diff erences in distal flap necrosis were found among all groups (p < 0.003). Th e rats treated with cell culture medium before flap elevation showed a sign ificant increase in flap viability: a survival rate of 83 percent, compared with the control group, which demonstrated a survival rate of only 58 perc ent (p < 0.0001). The surgical delay and the groups treated with cell cultu re medium yielded similar results with no significant difference between th em. This study indicates that preoperative injection of cell culture medium may play a role in decreasing skin flap necrosis.