Coagulopathies affect 3% of free flap patients and are among the leading causes of free flap failure. This report describes the case of a head and neck cancer patient that experienced two remote free flap failures before successful autologous mandibular reconstruction. Following identification of an unrecognized thrombophilic state, a focused anticoagulation strategy was executed, including an intraoperative heparin drip, stringent postoperative maintenance of Factor Xa levels between 0.3 and 0.5 IU per mL, and transition to an outpatient enoxaparin regimen of 1 mg per kg twice daily for 1.5 months following surgery. Here, we demonstrate that free tissue transfer following multiple previous failed attempts in the setting of hypercoagulability remains a viable reconstructive option with close interdisciplinary collaboration, close clinical monitoring, and patient-specific antithrombotic protocols.
Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons.