The Impact Of Human Skin Allograft As A Temporary Substitute For Early Coverage Of Major Burn Wounds On Clinical Outcomes And Mortality.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the application of different types of skin allograft as a skin substitute for coverage of major deep burn wounds, and their effect on the clinical outcomes and mortality of burned patients. This prospective study was conducted on 36 patients admitted to the Burn Unit from August 2016 to November 2019. The number and percentage of patients that needed auto-grafting after surgical intervention was 9 (100%) in Group I (allograft coverage not available), 13 (86.66%) in Group II (allograft source was from unrelated patients) and 8 (66.7%) in Group III (allograft from a first-degree relative). Patient survival was 55.6% in Group I, 86.7% in Group II and 91.7% in Group III. There was significant difference between the groups regarding time to complete healing, with P1 = 0.034* and P2 < 0.0001*. Human skin allograft harvested from living first-degree relatives is freshly donated at maximum viability and does not require complex preparation or preservation. It shows prolongation of graft survival that helps to improve general condition, decrease microbial wound contamination, improve vascularization and prepare the wound bed with healthy granulation tissue. This promotes wound healing and subsequent autograft take, and decreases mortality rate among burned patients.