Assessment of blood and oxygen delivery to flaps of rhesus using near infrared steady-state spectroscopy

Near infrared spectroscopy has been considered as a potentially ideal noninvasive technique for the postoperative monitoring of plastic surgery. In this study, 6 flaps were raised on rhesus monkeys' forearms. Blood and oxygen delivery to these flaps was monitored following vascular occlusions and inhalation of pure oxygen. Optical fibers were adopted in the probe of the oximeter so that the cutaneous detection could be performed in reflectance mode. Different and repeatable patterns of changes were measured following vascular occlusions on flaps. It is clear that the near infrared spectroscopy is capable of postoperatively monitoring vascular problems in flaps, especially the venous problem. Near infrared spectroscopy showed high sensitivity to detect the dynamic changes in flaps induced by inhalation of pure oxygen in this study. The experimental results indicated that it was potential to assess tissue viability utilizing the dynamic changes induced by some noninvasive stimulation (such as inhaling pure oxygen). It may be a new assessing method that is rapid, little influenced by other factors and less inconvenient to patients.