Is long-term postoperative monitoring of microsurgical flaps still necessary?

Autologous microsurgical flap reconstruction has become commonplace in most plastic surgery units, and the success rates of this procedure have markedly increased over recent years. However, the possibility of flap failure still needs to be considered. A review of the literature reveals that the critical period for flap-threatening complications is the first 24-to-48 postoperative hours; however, the window for the onset of these complications remains open for up to 7 days postoperatively. Here, we focus on the timing of flap complications, aiming to elucidate the time period over which meticulous flap monitoring can still contribute positively to flap salvage rates.

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