Free Flaps

A ‘free flap’ is a piece of tissue that has been dissected free from the human body and is therefore ready to be transferred to another part of the body to fill a defect that has been created though trauma or cancer removal surgery.

The key point is that the piece of tissue that has been dissected includes with it an artery and a vein. These vessels will be connected to vessels at the recipient site using an operating microscope and microsurgical instruments.

The artery will supply arterial, oxygenated blood to the tissue and the vein will drain deoxygenated blood from the tissue, hence keeping the ‘flap’ alive. Free flap surgery is essential when performing a wide range of surgical interventions. It is used when reconstructing defects in the head and neck/oral cavity after cancer removal surgery and in the arms and legs when covering defects after major trauma.

It is also used when reconstructing the breast after mastectomy surgery for breast cancer and can be used when reconstructing the body after major burns. It is the principal technique employed when performing face transplantation.