The Use of Oxygen Therapy in Management of Mastectomy Flap Ischemia

Summary: Oxygen plays a major role in wound healing by improving vessel growth and facilitating wound closure. Topical oxygen therapy has been widely accepted as a treatment for diabetic foot ulcers, but its benefit in compromised flaps and grafts in the field of plastic surgery has gained traction. It is possible to decrease flap necrosis and increase viability with topical oxygen therapy. We present a case of a 48-year-old woman who received topical oxygen therapy to treat postmastectomy areas of skin necrosis. As the patient underwent treatment using topical oxygen therapy to the mastectomy flaps, skin demarcation of bilateral breasts continued to improve and eventually completely resolved. This case demonstrated the significant ability of topical oxygen therapy to promote wound healing in flap ischemia.