Comorbid risk factors in TRAM flap failure.

Women having transverse abdominal muscle (TRAM) breast reconstruction have often suffered through mastectomy, perhaps chemotherapy, and certainly survived a brush with death. To finally reach a time when the missing breast can be reconstructed affords them a sense of return to normally. Unfortunately for some women, the risk of complications looms large. The purpose of this paper is to address the co-morbid risk factors for TRAM flap failure and the nurses' role in minimizing their impact.