Objective: To study the impacts of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) intervention on hemorheology and blood coagulation before and after free skin flap transplantation, in order to provide new clues of applying Chinese drugs for activating blood circulation and removing stasis in microsurgery.
Methods: Sixty patients undergoing free skin flap transplantation were randomly and equally assigned to two groups, the treatment group administered with tetramethylpyrazine, the control group with low molecular dextran, both were treated for 7 days. The survival rate of transplanted flap, hemorrheologic parameters and four blood coagulation associated indices (prothrombin time, thrombin time, activated prothrombin time and fibrinogen) were detected before and after treatment.
Results: Comparisons of clinical efficacy and hemorrheologic indices showed no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05), but TMP showed less impacts on the four blood coagulation associated indices at the 24, 48 and 72 h after operation (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: TMP could prevent blood vessel crisis after free skin flap transplantation, so it is valuable in microsurgical clinical application.