ABSTRACT
Surgery may involve wide undermining of the soft tissues. Postoperative edema may be significant since joints have relatively poor lymphatic drainage, further compro mised by surgery, leading to undue tension of the skin and incision. Prostheses may be positioned direcdy underneath the skin incision in an area that is poorly vascular ized. Finally, many patients have had prior surgery, the scarring from which contrib utes to decreased tissue pliability and blood flow. In sum, the altered blood flow, increased edema and wound tension result in decreased oxygen delivery to the heal ing incision.
