Influence of RIC on the Orthostatic Competence of the Microcirculation

The use of free flaps is a standard procedure in reconstructive plastic surgery, in which a wide variety of tissue units are microsurgically transplanted, often to cover defects on the body surface. Microvascular tissue transplants depend on an adequate blood supply, which is particularly vulnerable in the first postoperative phase. In the case of reconstructions of the lower extremities in particular, the flap perfusion is stressed during the first mobilizations due to the orthostatic load. For this reason, the mobilization of the patients is gradually increased from day to day with precise monitoring of the blood flow (so-called flap training). A procedure for temporarily improving the blood flow in free flaps is ischemic preconditioning (RIC - Remote Ischemic Preconditioning). Repeated, short cycles of ischemia/reperfusion applied to a circumscribed vascular territory (e.g. supra systolic tourniquet arm) lead to an increase in tissue perfusion, even outside the area of application (arm). RIC could have the potential to optimize the tissue perfusion of flaps even under orthostatic stress and to promote an earlier mobilization of patients. Our work investigates the influence of RIC on orthostatic competence (as part of a standardized orthostatic load with a tilting table) of the microcirculatory system in the lower extremities and the orthostatic hemodynamic regulation itself.