Comparing the effects of aspirin, clopidogrel and their combination on random skin flap survival in rats

Background: Random pattern flap is a common reconstructive surgery procedure but its necrosis is a challenging problem. A lot of pharmacological agents and surgical procedures have been examined for the prevention of this complication to maximize the length to width ratio of these surgical flaps. Therefore, we designed an experimental study to evaluate the effects of aspirin, clopidogrel bisulfate (Plavix) and their combination on random skin flap survival in rats.Methods: Forty male rats were randomly assigned to four equal groups. Surgery was done under general anesthesia. A random, rectangular 3×11 cm dorsal skin flap was designed, elevated and sutured back into its primary site. In group one, 100 mg/kg Aspirin and in group two, 25 mg/kg Plavix were administered orally for 7 days postoperatively. Aspirin and Plavix were co-administered in the third group for the same period of time while the control group received no medication. After 7 days, the total surface of flaps, the viable and also the necrotic parts were measured by Image J software. Mean standard deviation and analysis of variance were calculated to compare the results.Results: The mean area of flap survival was 62.49% in the control, 64.04% in Aspirin, 65.09% in Plavix and 64.06% in combination groups. No statistically significant differences were found between treatment groups and control rats.Conclusion: In this study, we found no significant differences between Aspirin, Plavix or their combination on the survival of random skin flaps.