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Anemia is not a predictor of free flap failure: A review of NSQIP data
Author(s) -
Mlodinow Alexei S.,
Ver Halen Jon P.,
Rambachan Akshar,
Gaido Jessica,
Kim John Y.S.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
microsurgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.031
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1098-2752
pISSN - 0738-1085
DOI - 10.1002/micr.22107
Subject(s) - medicine , bivariate analysis , anemia , logistic regression , multivariate analysis , current procedural terminology , surgery , multivariate statistics , microsurgery , intensive care medicine , statistics , mathematics
Background Thrombosis is a common cause of flap failure in microvascular tissue transfer, which questions the effects of anemia on this outcome. This article seeks to contribute a large, multi‐institutional data analysis to this debate. Methods Free tissue transfer patients were identified in the National Surgical Quality Improvement database through a specified Current Procedural Terminology algorithm. Bivariate analysis compared anemic and nonanemic groups with respect to flap failure and other outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for flap failure. Results Of the 864 patients who met inclusion criteria, 244 were anemic and 620 were not. Bivariate analysis showed no significant difference between groups with respect to flap failure (3.28% vs. 4.03%, P = 0.0603). Multivariate regression analysis supported this (OR 95% CI = 0.371–1.912). Conclusions These findings, based on the largest sample in the literature, show anemia is neither a predictor of free tissue transfer failure nor is it protective. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 33:432–438, 2013.