DIEP Flap Surgery and Intraabdominal Pressure

Intraabdominal Pressure Increases Peri-operatively in Patients Undergoing DIEP Flap Reconstruction: A Prospective Study Linking High IAP to Non-fatal Lung Embolism in One Patient

Aim: The primary aim of this study is to test if closure of the abdominal donor site increases the Intraabdominal Pressure (IAP) in women undergoing secondary Deep Inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction.

Materials and method: By an Unometer, attached to a standard catheter in the bladder, we measured the intravesical pressure as a surrogate marker for the IAP, at baseline, immediate after- and 24 hours after abdominal skin closure, for 13 patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Females undergoing secondary DIEP flap breast reconstruction.
• Performance status 1-2

Exclusion Criteria:

• Performance status above 2.
• Untreated hypertension or atrial fibrillation

Performance status evalutated using American Society of Anaesthesiologists' (ASA) classification of Physical Health.