Management of Donor Site Wounds after Autodermoplasty

Abstract

Introduction. Autodermoplasty with split autodermografts is the major option for surgical treatment of deep burns, and it requires management of donor site wounds in the postoperative period. There is no consensus on the most optimal dressing for the treatment of donor site wounds. The main requirements for such dressings are the simplicity and availability of application.The aim of the study was to analyse the effectiveness of diverse dressings applied for donor site wound management and to select the most optimal one.Methods. The study included 143 patients with deep burns. The authors analysed the effectiveness of diverse dressings applied for donor site wound management.Results. Application of diverse synthetic and biological dressings for donor site wound management resulted in the reduction in epithelialization by 1-3 days compared to conventional wet-drying gauze dressings with antiseptics; however, a complicated course of the wound process with accumulated wound discharge and suppuration was registered more often in these cases. All patients reported about moderate pain, especially in the first days after surgery, regardless of the type of dressings applied. The terms of complete donor site wound healing were almost the same in the compared groups and ranged from 14 to 18 days. This was evidenced by repeated harvesting of autodermal grafts from the donor site, the fact being an objective criterion for wound healing.Conclusion. It is recommended to treat donor site wounds resulted from split autodermal grafting using single application of a gauze dressing impregnated with antiseptic solutions. It is reasonable to treat donor site wounds limited in area with hydrocolloid dressings.