Mean platelet volume as a prognostic indicator in skin graft viability: A clinical study and retrospective analysis.

Introduction: Skin grafting is the transplantation of partial-thickness or full-thickness skin from the donor to the recipient site, aiming to close tissue defects. However, skin graft transplantation surgery is not always successful and graft loss may occur after a while.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate mean platelet volume (MPV) as a prognostic criterion in patients who underwent wound reconstruction with skin graft.

Method: This study was cross-sectional and descriptive. The study sample consisted of n = 66 patients who underwent skin grafting for tissue loss. Wound and graft characteristics and some blood parameters were analyzed. Friedman, Kruskal Wallis, and Bonferroni tests were used for data analysis.

Results: The results of this study showed that MPV levels were higher in complex wounds and graft loss than in the others. MPV level was higher in patients with full-thickness skin grafts than in patients with split-thickness grafts. The mean MPV of patients who underwent multiple grafting was higher than single-shot (p < 0.01). There was a positive, strong and statistically significant correlation between serum PCT and MPV in the preoperative period (r = 0.288, p = 0.041) and between MPV and CRP on the 5th postoperative day (r = 0.294, p = 0.045).

Conclusion: In this study, MPV increased with increasing wound and graft complexity. Additionally, multiple grafting was statistically associated with an increase in MPV. There was a strong correlation between MPV and serum PCT and CRP at varying measurement times. These results suggest that MPV has the potential to increase in the presence of inflammation just like CRP and serum PCT.