RESUMO
Objective:To evaluate a new type of draw-bar skin stretcher in repair of full-thickness skin defects.Methods:From May 2015 to January 2019, 52 patients with full-thickness skin defects were repaired with a new type of draw-bar skin stretcher at Daping Hospital, Army Medical University. They were 40 males and 12 females, aged from 4 to 61 years (average, 37.1 years). Their skin was stretched for primary wound closure. When primary wound closure failed, skin stretching was performed again to close the wound depending on the wound condition. When the Pinch test was negative after skin stretching, the wound was sutured directly. In cases of positive Pinch test, a skin graft or flap was used to repair the remaining wound. At 12 months after surgery, scar contracture and size of skin graft or flap were observed and wound healing after skin stretching was evaluated in comparison with the original wound.Results:After skin stretching, one-stage wound closure was achieved in 36 cases and multi-stage wound closure in 8 cases; of the remaining 8 cases, 2 were repaired by skin graft and 6 by skin flap after their wounds were reduced by skin stretching. In one-stage closed wounds, infection occurred in 3 cases and marginal necrosis in 5 cases; in the wounds repaired by skin graft or flap, no infection or necrosis was observed. The 12-month follow-up for all the patients showed fine healing of all the wounds after one-stage or multi-stage closure, linear scar, absence of scar contracture, and smaller wound sizes than the original ones after skin graft or flap repair.Conclusions:Skin stretching using our new type of draw-bar skin stretcher is an effective treatment for skin wounds. It can replace traditional skin grafting and flap surgery in some cases, but its indications should be strictly followed to avoid related complications.