Perioperative Care and Monitoring of the Microvascular Surgery Patient

Microvascular surgery has revolutionized the reconstructive surgeon’s approach to the management of wounds. Improvements in microsurgical techniques and instruments over the past two decades have resulted in success rates now routinely in excess of 90-95% at most major medical centers. Contributing to this high level of success is the excellent and meticulous perioperative care that is, and must be, accorded to each and every patient undergoing a microvascular surgical procedure. As with any other patient undergoing an operative procedure, the perioperative period is divided into three phases: preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative.