Anticoagulación en microcirugía reconstructiva en los servicios de Cirugía Maxilofacial en Espa？a

objective: to find out the protocol for anticoagulation therapy in the perioperative period following microvascular reconstruction in major oral and maxillofacial surgery departments in spain. from this, to summarise the majority anticoagulant therapy and attempt to unify criteria. material and methods: the authors conducted a descriptive study. a survey was performed contacting by telephone and/or email with the major oral and maxillofacial surgery departments in spain who perform reconstructive surgery with microvascular free flaps. results: of the 65 services of oral and maxillofacial surgery departments in spain, 29 (44%) participated in the study. the other services were excluded owing to not practicing microsurgical reconstruction or not providing the results of the questionnaire. of these 29 participating departments, 22 (73%) followed an antithrombotic protocol in microsurgical procedures. conclusion: despite the lack of a standardised antithrombotic pattern there is evidence that dextran should not be used due to the high risk of systemic complications, and heparin and aspirin are the only drugs that have achieved a reduction in microvascular thrombosis compared to the absence of antithrombotic therapy.