A single postoperative application of nitroglycerin ointment does not increase survival of cutaneous flaps and grafts

BACKGROUND. Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator that has been reported to improve cutaneous flap and graft survival. It has not been tested in controlled studies. OBJECTIVE. We designed our study to test the effectiveness of a single postoperative application of nitroglycerin on flap and graft survival. METHODS. Eighty-eight surgical repairs received topical nitroglycerin and 85 received control ointment (polysporin). Treatment sites were evaluated on postoperative day 7 and assigned a percentage of surface area survival. RESULTS. There was no significant difference in the complication rate of flaps and grafts treated with nitroglycerin (12.5%) compared with those treated with control ointment (8.4%) (P = .244). Subset analysis of flaps as a group and grafts as a group were not meaningful because the complication rates were so low. CONCLUSION. There is no survival increase of flaps and grafts treated with a single application of nitroglycerin ointment.