Preventing postoperative haematomas in microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck: Lessons learnt from 126 consecutive cases

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Free tissue transfer has become a safe and reliable means for repairing soft tissue and bony defects of the head and neck. Although operative success has reached 98%, the incidence of significant postoperative complications is also relatively high (32%). One common and significant complication is haematoma formation, occurring at both donor and recipient sites, and yet there are minimal published studies on its incidence, aetiology or outcome. A retrospective analysis of both donor- and recipient-site wound haematoma was carried out to identify causative factors and the effect on patient outcome. METHODS: A 5-year review of 132 consecutive microvascular free tissue transfers to h..