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CompletedNCT04860544RBCTUpdated May 5, 2021

Is Red Blood Cell Transfusion a Risk Factor for Vascular Pedicle Thrombosis? The Study Case of a Latin American Cohort

An observational study in Vascular Thrombosis, sponsored by Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud. Completed. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-05-05.

Sponsored by Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
302
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The present cohort was performed between January of 2014 and December of 2019. It included 302 free flaps conducted between January 2006 and December 2019 in the Hospital de San José and Hospital Infantil Universitario de San José in Bogotá, Colombia. Its aims were to determine whether there is an association between perioperative red blood cell transfusion and the risk of free flap vascular pedicle thrombosis. The exposure was the red blood cell transfusion therapy during the perioperative eriod, and the primary outcome was the occurrence of vascular pedicle thrombosis, which was defined as the intraoperative visualization of arterial or venous thrombosis of the vascular pedicle observed until seven days following the procedure.

As a secondary outcome, the presence of clinical signs of arterial or venous flap suffering. Red blood cell transfusion was prescribed by the attending anesthesiologist.

The methodology included data collection from medical records history, statistical analysis (incidence of thrombosis and to plot survival curves, the incidence rates calculated for every 1000 free flaps and the analysis between thrombosis and perioperative variables) by Kaplan Meier method and Cox regression models and its interpretation. The results showed that red blood cell transfusion during the perioperative period did not represent a risk for vascular pedicle thrombosis and also discarded a possible effect on the free flap survival.

Read the detailed description

The study included patients who underwent free flap surgery between January 2006 and December 2019 in the Hospital de San José and Hospital Infantil Universitario de San José in Bogotá, Colombia. Criteria for exclusion were history of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, hypercoagulability syndrome, and previous medication with oral or parenteral anticoagulant within the past year of the surgery. A standardized Google App for Work form was created where participant's medical records were registered. The exposure criteria were RBCT, and the primary outcome was the occurrence of VPT, which was defined as the intraoperative visualization of arterial or venous thrombosis in the vascular pedicle, observed up until seven days after the procedure. As a secondary outcome, the presence of clinical signs of arterial flap suffering (pallor, decreased capillary filling time, decreased skin turgor, , venous congestion: blue dermal bleeding, and poikilothermia). As well as the absence of blood flow measured by Doppler ultrasound that was registered from the beginning until the outcome. Different clinical characteristics were recorded such as: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diabetes (fasting blood glucose >126 mg/dl or random glucose value >200 mg/dl), arterial hypertension (persistently high value >140/90 mmHg or use of antihypertensive medication for adequate control) anesthetic risk (ASA Classification), most recent pre-surgical hemoglobin (Hb mg/dl), most recent pre-surgical hematocrit (Ht %), anemia (Hb \<12mg/dl or Hto \<36% in children under 14 and women of childbearing age, Hb \<13 mg/dl or Hto \<39% in men over 14 or postmenopausal women), history of chemotherapy during the past year, history of radiation therapy in the flap donor or free flap recipient site In regard to the surgery performed, the following variables were analyzed: indication of procedure, free flap donor site, free flap recipient site, type of flap, whether or not other concomitant surgical procedures were being performed (oncological resections, osteosynthesis, tumor resections) and intra-operative bleeding according to the records from anesthesiologists' evaluations. The information was exported from the standardized formats to a database for statistical analysis through statistical packages R and Stata 15® licensed by the Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud - FUCS.

The exposed group corresponded to patients who received red blood cell transfusion during the perioperative period of free flap surgery (defined as: 24 hours before, during and up to 24 hours after the procedure).

  • The unexposed group corresponded to patients who did not receive red blood cell transfusion during the perioperative period of free flap surgery (defined as: 24 hours before, during and up to 24 hours after the procedure).
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Conditions studied

  • Vascular Thrombosis

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Keywords

  • Free flap
  • Thrombosis
  • Blood transfusion
03

In context

Thrombosis

1,506 studies on the registry are indexed under Thrombosis; 238 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 302 is above the median of 213 across 586 observational studies indexed under Thrombosis.

Browse Thrombosis studies →

Lead sponsor

Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud is the lead sponsor of 8 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

Patients who underwent free flap surgery between January 2006 and December 2019 in the Hospital de San José and Hospital Infantil Universitario de San José in Bogotá, Colombia

Inclusion criteria

  • The study included patients who underwent free flap surgery between January 2006 and December 2019 in the Hospital de San José and Hospital Infantil Universitario de San José in Bogotá, Colombia.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Criteria for exclusion were history of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, hypercoagulability syndrome and previous medication with oral or parenteral anticoagulant within the past year of the surgery.
05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
302 participants (actual)
Target follow-up
7 Days
Patient registry
Yes

Interventions

  • ProcedureRED BLOOD CELLS TRANFUSION
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. VASCULAR PEDICLE THROMBOSIS

    the primary outcome was the occurrence of VPT, which was defined as the intraoperative visualization of arterial or venous thrombosis of the vascular pedicle observed until seven days following the procedure

    Time frame: 7 DAYS

Secondary outcomes

  1. arterial or venous non-thrombotic vascular complications in the flap

    As a secondary outcome, the presence of clinical signs of arterial flap suffering (pallor, decreased capillary filling time, decreased skin turgor, scarce dermal bleeding and poikilothermia) or venous flap suffering (cutaneous cyanosis, increased turgor, venous congestion: blue dermal bleeding, and poikilothermia). As well as the absence of blood flow measured by Doppler ultrasound was registered from the beginning until the outcome

    Time frame: 7 DAYS

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

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References and documents

Publications

  • Hill JB, Patel A, Del Corral GA, Sexton KW, Ehrenfeld JM, Guillamondegui OD, Shack RB. Preoperative anemia predicts thrombosis and free flap failure in microvascular reconstruction. Ann Plast Surg. 2012 Oct;69(4):364-7. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0b013e31823ed606. PubMed 22964664 ↗
  • Kroll SS, Schusterman MA, Reece GP, Miller MJ, Evans GR, Robb GL, Baldwin BJ. Choice of flap and incidence of free flap success. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1996 Sep;98(3):459-63. doi: 10.1097/00006534-199609000-00015. PubMed 8700982 ↗
  • Nakatsuka T, Harii K, Asato H, Takushima A, Ebihara S, Kimata Y, Yamada A, Ueda K, Ichioka S. Analytic review of 2372 free flap transfers for head and neck reconstruction following cancer resection. J Reconstr Microsurg. 2003 Aug;19(6):363-8; discussion 369. doi: 10.1055/s-2003-42630. PubMed 14515225 ↗
  • Novakovic D, Patel RS, Goldstein DP, Gullane PJ. Salvage of failed free flaps used in head and neck reconstruction. Head Neck Oncol. 2009 Aug 21;1:33. doi: 10.1186/1758-3284-1-33. PubMed 19698095 ↗
  • Zhou W, Zhang WB, Yu Y, Wang Y, Mao C, Guo CB, Yu GY, Peng X. Risk factors for free flap failure: a retrospective analysis of 881 free flaps for head and neck defect reconstruction. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2017 Aug;46(8):941-945. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2017.03.023. Epub 2017 Apr 14. PubMed 28416356 ↗
  • Cannady SB, Hatten KM, Bur AM, Brant J, Fischer JP, Newman JG, Chalian AA. Use of free tissue transfer in head and neck cancer surgery and risk of overall and serious complication(s): An American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Project analysis of free tissue transfer to the head and neck. Head Neck. 2017 Apr;39(4):702-707. doi: 10.1002/hed.24669. Epub 2016 Dec 21. PubMed 28000297 ↗
  • Heidekrueger PI, Ninkovic M, Heine-Geldern A, Herter F, Broer PN. End-to-end versus end-to-side anastomoses in free flap reconstruction: single centre experiences. J Plast Surg Hand Surg. 2017 Oct;51(5):362-365. doi: 10.1080/2000656X.2017.1283321. Epub 2017 Feb 2. PubMed 28151027 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 5, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04860544
Lead sponsor
Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud
Collaborators
Hospital de San Jose
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 27, 2021
Start date
Jan 16, 2013
Primary completion
May 27, 2019
Completion
Dec 16, 2019
Last update
May 5, 2021

Study contacts

CARLOS E TORRES FUENTES, MD.PS
principal investigator · FUNDACION UNIVERSITARIA DE CIENCIAS DE LA SALUD

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in May 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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