Main researcher: Shiva Subramaniam, Maxillofacial/Reconstructive Surgeon, University of Western Australia

Title: The use of free tissue transfers in head and neck reconstruction: a retrospective analysis of the QOMS data to determine what flaps are being used in the United Kingdom and if the type of flap has any association with survival.

Introduction: Free flap surgery involves the transfer of a patient’s own tissue from a donor site to a recipient site, which is typically the site of a defect. The donor site usually has a distant location with respect to the recipient site. In Head and Neck reconstruction, the quest for a flap that satisfies the functional and aesthetic demands of the defect, whilst minimizing morbidity from the donor site has continued. It has led to the development of a variety of flaps, harvested from a range of anatomical tissues, in order to satisfy the needs of an optimal reconstruction.

Aim: to retrospectively look at the free flaps that are currently being utilised by head and neck reconstructive surgeons in the United Kingdom and to see if there is any correlation between the choice of flap and flap survival. This information will then give us a base line to understand what the main flaps are, and then proceed with the search to see if there are any other flaps that can/should be used and what the obstacles to uptake are.

Ethics: This proposal was approved by the BAOMS QOMS Team. Ethical approval from the University of Western Australia (UWA) was obtained.

Analysis plan: the following points will be reported (1) description of the data, (2) statistical analysis of the correlation between type of flap and their survival and (3) the overall success rates of free tissue transfer in the same period.