Flap Surgery
What is Flap Surgery?
Flap surgery is a reconstructive procedure that involves transferring a piece of tissue (skin, fat, muscle, or bone) along with its blood supply from one part of the body (donor site) to another (recipient site) to repair defects, restore function, or improve appearance. It’s commonly used in plastic and reconstructive surgery. In India, flap surgery is conducted in plastic surgery or reconstructive departments at hospitals like Apollo, Fortis, Medanta, Tata Memorial, and AIIMS, often at affordable costs. Understanding the procedure, costs, recovery, risks, and FAQs is essential for patients.
Why you need Flap Surgery?
Flap surgery is indicated for:
- Reconstruction needs:
- Defects from trauma (e.g., burns, as you asked earlier), accidents, or surgery (e.g., cancer excision, such as breast or head/neck).
- Chronic wounds (e.g., pressure sores, diabetic ulcers).
- Congenital defects (e.g., cleft lip/palate repair).
- Functional restoration:
- Restore mobility (e.g., hand reconstruction) or function (e.g., oral cavity after tumor removal).
- Cosmetic improvement:
- Improve appearance after tissue loss (e.g., breast reconstruction post-mastectomy, facial defects).
- Timing:
- Immediate: During primary surgery (e.g., post-cancer excision).
- Delayed: After initial healing (e.g., 3–6 months post-burn, as in burn reconstruction).
The procedure aims to close defects, restore function, and improve aesthetics by transferring healthy tissue with its blood supply, ensuring viability at the recipient site.
Why Do Flap Surgery Costs Vary in India?
Costs range from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh :
- Procedure Complexity: Local flap (₹1–1.5 lakh); regional flap (₹1.5–2.5 lakh); free flap (₹2.5–5 lakh).
- Hospital/Location: Higher in metro cities (Apollo, Fortis: ₹2–5 lakh); lower in government hospitals (AIIMS, Tata Memorial: ₹50,000–₹1.5 lakh, often subsidized under Ayushman Bharat).
- Surgeon’s Expertise: Experienced plastic/microsurgeons charge more.
- Additional Costs: Anesthesia (₹10,000–₹30,000), hospital stay (₹5,000–₹20,000/day), microsurgery (₹50,000–₹1 lakh), medications (₹10,000–₹20,000).
- Insurance: Often covered for reconstructive purposes (e.g., cancer, trauma); confirm with your provider.
Flap Surgery Procedure
- Before surgery Assessment:
- Physical exam: Evaluates defect size, location, and surrounding tissue health.
- Imaging: CT/MRI or Doppler ultrasound to assess blood vessels (esp. for free flaps).
- Blood tests: Blood sugar, clotting profile; infection screening.
- Planning: Flap type (local, regional, or free), donor site selection, and recipient site preparation.
- Consent: Risks, including flap failure, are explained.
- Before surgery Assessment:
- Surgical Techniques:
- Flap Surgery:
- Performed under general anesthesia, lasting 2–8 hours depending on complexity.
- Flap types:
- Local flap: Tissue moved from adjacent area (e.g., rotation flap for facial defects).
- Regional flap: Tissue from nearby area with intact blood supply (e.g., pedicled TRAM flap for breast reconstruction).
- Free flap: Tissue completely detached and reattached at recipient site using microsurgery (e.g., DIEP flap for breast, fibula flap for jaw).
- Repair:
- Donor tissue harvested with its blood supply (pedicle or vessels for anastomosis).
- Transferred to recipient site; vessels reconnected (free flap) using microsurgery.
- Flap shaped to fit defect; donor site closed (may need skin graft).
- Closure: Sutures secure flap and donor site; drains prevent fluid buildup.
- Intraoperative Tools:
- Microscope: For vessel anastomosis (free flaps).
- Doppler: Monitors flap blood flow.
- Cautery: Controls bleeding.
- Flap Surgery:
- After Surgery:
- Hospital stay: 5–10 days (longer for free flaps).
- Care: Flap monitoring (color, temperature, Doppler) every 1–2 hours initially; keep flap warm and immobile.
- Pain management: Moderate pain for 3–7 days; managed with painkillers (e.g., fentanyl).
- Instructions: Avoid pressure on flap; physiotherapy (if functional restoration) after 2–4 weeks.
Recovery After Flap Surgery
- Hospital Stay: 5–10 days.
- Post-Surgery Care:
- Pain/Swelling: Moderate pain for 3–7 days; swelling resolves in 2–4 weeks.
- Flap Monitoring: Critical for 48–72 hours (esp. free flaps); check for viability (color, warmth).
- Activity: Avoid strenuous activity for 4–6 weeks; light activities in 2–3 weeks.
- Incision: Sutures removed in 7–14 days; donor site may need longer healing (e.g., if grafted).
- Physiotherapy: Starts 2–4 weeks post-op for functional restoration (e.g., hand, leg).
- Follow-Up:
- Visits at 1 week (drain removal), 1 month, and 3 months.
- Doppler (free flaps): At 1 week to confirm blood flow.
- Functional assessment: At 3–6 months for mobility/strength.
Recovery varies; initial healing takes 4–6 weeks, but full integration and scar maturation take 6–12 months. Success rate: 95–98% for local/regional flaps; 90–95% for free flaps with experienced teams.
Risks and Complications
- Surgical Risks:
- Bleeding (2–5%): Hematoma at flap or donor site; may need drainage.
- Infection (3–5%): At surgical site; treated with antibiotics; may lead to flap loss.
- Anesthesia risks (<1%): Reaction to general anesthesia; rare in healthy patients.
- Post-Surgery:
- Flap failure (2–5%, free flaps; 1–2%, local/regional): Due to poor blood supply; needs urgent reoperation or new flap.
- Partial necrosis (3–5%): Edge of flap dies; may need debridement or grafting.
- Donor site issues (2–5%): Scarring, pain, or weakness (e.g., abdominal wall after TRAM flap).
- Seroma (3–5%): Fluid collection; may need aspiration.
- Long-Term:
- Scarring (5–10%): Hypertrophic or keloid scars; managed with silicone sheets or laser.
- Functional limitation (2–5%): If physiotherapy inadequate; may need further surgery.
Report fever, flap discoloration (pale/blue), severe pain, or signs of infection (e.g., redness, pus) promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What necessitates flap surgery?
Tissue loss from trauma, cancer surgery, burns, or chronic wounds needing healthy tissue for coverage and function.
Can I avoid flap surgery?
Yes, if minor: Skin grafts or non-surgical wound care (e.g., dressings); flaps needed for larger defects or functional restoration.
Is flap surgery painful?
Moderate pain for 3–7 days, managed with medication; discomfort subsides in 2–3 weeks.
How soon can I resume normal activities?
Light activities: 2–3 weeks; full recovery: 6–12 weeks; avoid strenuous activity for 4–6 weeks.
Is flap surgery covered by insurance in India?
Often covered for reconstructive purposes; confirm with your provider; Ayushman Bharat often subsidizes.
Signs of complications?
Fever, flap discoloration, severe pain, or signs of infection.
Will my appearance improve significantly?
90–95% achieve functional restoration; cosmetic improvement varies—scarring improves but may persist.
Lifestyle changes post-surgery?
Avoid pressure on flap, adhere to physiotherapy, protect flap from trauma, and attend follow-ups.
Conclusion
Flap surgery is a highly effective reconstructive technique to repair defects and restore function, with good success rates in experienced hands. India’s top hospitals (Apollo, Fortis, AIIMS) provide affordable care, often covered by insurance for reconstructive cases. Understanding the procedure, costs, recovery, risks, and FAQs helps patients approach surgery confidently. Consult a plastic or reconstructive surgeon for personalized guidance.
Looking for Best Hospitals for Flap Surgery
Note: we are not promoting any hospitals
we are not promoting any hospitals we sourced all the details from google and hospitals website, please verify and start with your surgery here we go the list includes government, budget and superspeciality hospitals accreditation bodies are the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) and the Joint Commission International (JCI)
- click on your city and schedule your surgery now done in good hands.
| City | Minimum Price (₹) | Maximum Price (₹) |
|---|---|---|
Agra |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Ahmedabad |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Ajmer |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Aligarh |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Allahabad |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Amritsar |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Aurangabad |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Bangalore |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Bareilly |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Belgaum |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Bhopal |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Bhubaneswar |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Bikaner |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Chandigarh |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Chennai |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Coimbatore |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Dehradun |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Delhi |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Dhanbad |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Durgapur |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Faridabad |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Ghaziabad |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Gorakhpur |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Guntur |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Gurgaon |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Guwahati |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Gwalior |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Hyderabad |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Indore |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Jabalpur |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Jaipur |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Jalandhar |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Jamshedpur |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Jodhpur |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Kanpur |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Kochi |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Kolkata |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Kollam |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Lucknow |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Ludhiana |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Madurai |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Mangalore |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Meerut |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Moradabad |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Mumbai |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Mysore |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Nagpur |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Nashik |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Navi Mumbai |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Noida |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Patna |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Pune |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Raipur |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Rajkot |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Ranchi |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Surat |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Thane |
1,20,000 |
4,00,000 |
Vadodara |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Varanasi |
1,00,000 |
3,50,000 |
Visakhapatnam |
1,10,000 |
3,75,000 |
Disclaimer
This information is sourced from open platforms and is for general awareness only. Costs may vary based on individual cases. Please consult a qualified doctor for medical advice and explore options within your budget before deciding on the procedure.