Feasibility of the Use of RapiGraft and Skin Grafting in Reconstructive Surgery

Abstract

BackgroundSkin grafting is a relatively simple and thus widely used procedure. However, the elastic and structural quality of grafted skin is poor. Recently, various dermal substitutes have been developed to overcome this disadvantage of split-thickness skin grafts. The present study aims to determine the feasibility of RapiGraft as a new dermal substitute.MethodsThis prospective study included 20 patients with partial- or full-thickness skin defects; the patients were enrolled between January 2013 and March 2014. After skin defect debridement, the wound was divided into two parts by an imaginary line. Split-thickness skin grafting alone was performed on one side (group A), and RapiGraft and split-thickness skin grafting were used on the other side (group B). All patients were evaluated using photographs and self-questionnaires. The Manchester scar scale (MSS), a chromameter, and a durometer were used for the scar evaluation. The average follow-up period was 6 months.ResultsThe skin graft take rates were 93% in group A and 89% in group B, a non-significant difference (P=0.082). Statistically, group B had significantly lower MSS, vascularity, and pigmentation results than group A (P<0.05 for all). However, the groups did not differ significantly in pliability (P=0.155).ConclusionsThe present study indicates that a simultaneous application of RapiGraft and a split-thickness skin graft is safe and yields improved results. Therefore, we conclude that the use of RapiGraft along with skin grafting will be beneficial for patients requiring reconstructive surgery.

Evaluation of Clinical and Biomechanical Features of Scars Resulting from the Treatment of Burn Contractures Comparing Acellular Dermal Matrices

“…The durometer is an instrument that measures hardness and has proven to be an effective and reliable device for scleroderma skin evaluation 23,24 and it has been increasingly used for the objective assessment of scar hardness. [25][26][27][28] In our study, there was no difference between groups when comparing the surgical scars using the durometer (Fig. 3).…”

Fabrication of Blended Gelatin–Polyvinyl Alcohol–Chitosan Scaffold for Wound Regeneration

“…These wound coverages required repeated harvesting from available donor sites, which led to pain and scar at the donor sites that extended the time for skin recovery, and such patients had to stay longer in the hospital (Huang and Fu, 2011). Because of the limitations with regards to application of autografts and allografts, and the tremendous needed for the same in clinical applications for wound regeneration in patients with various wound situations, bioengineered skin substitutes have been developed quickly so that new alternative methods were provided for clinicians to restore skin and solve a variety of skin defects (Rendon et al, 2010;Shishatskaya et al, 2016;Yang et al, 2016). The substitutes should have some fundamental properties to guarantee that they could create the proper environment for promoting wound healing, such as having appropriate physical and mechanical properties and having a controlled degradation rate.…”