The effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on the viability of random skin flaps in rats

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the role of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the viability of random skin flaps. In 30 Wistar-EPM rats, a random 10×4 cm skin flap was raised and a plastic barrier was interposed between the flap and its bed. Immediately after surgery and for two subsequent days, the rats in group 1 (the control group) were anesthetized for 1 h with the electrodes positioned in the base of the flap and without the administration of the electric stimulus. The rats in group 2 (the treatment group) were submitted to TENS for 1 h immediately after the surgery and for two subsequent days. The percentage of necrotic area (averages of 43.11% in the rats in group 1 and 23.52% in the rats in group 2) was calculated on the seventh postoperative day in both groups. Statistical analysis proved that TENS was more efficient in increasing random skin flap viability than was the method used in the control group.