Artiss® and burn treatment: a retrospective analysis contributing to current clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Tangential excision and autologous skin graft coverage is a foundational principle in burn surgery. Fibrin sealant (Artiss®) was developed recently as alternative to staples for graft fixation. The aim of this study was to assess whether graft-fixation with Artiss shows profit in terms of postoperative pain management compared to graft fixation with staples. METHODS: A retrospective single-center, single-surgeon frequency-matched cohort study was completed on 83 patients with thermal injury burns covering 1%-25% of total body surface area, requiring early excision and immediate coverage with split-thickness skin grafts. Grafts were fixated with Artiss only or staples only. Primary outcome parameters include complication rates (graft loss, need for regrafting and wound contamination), the requirement of pain medication for postoperative pain and the need for narcosis for postoperative procedures. RESULTS: Graft-fixation with Artiss resulted in a decrease in administration of analgesics (P=0.005) and anesthetics (P=0.007) postoperatively. No statistically significant difference was found in complication rates (P=0.999) between both groups. CONCLUSION: Fibrin sealant proved to be a safe and effective alternative to staples for graft fixation. It showed profit in short-term burn outcomes, reducing the need for analgesics and anesthetics postoperatively.

Immediate debridement of road rash injuries with Versajet® hydrosurgery: traumatic tattoo prevention?

UNLABELLED: Traumatic tattoos can result from accidental deposition of foreign particles in the dermis. These pigmented particles become permanently lodged in the dermis after re-epithelialization of the wound and can give rise to irregular black or blue discoloration of the skin. Different methods for tattoo removal exist. The best strategy is to prevent traumatic tattooing by immediate removal of the foreign bodies before the healing process has begun. We present a fine-tuned debridement method to selectively debride the wound and preserve as much viable tissue as possible. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Measurement of elasticity and transepidermal water loss rate of burn scars with the Dermalab(®).

This cross-sectional study investigated the reproducibility of repeated elasticity and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements with the DermaLab(®) on 32 active burn scars and healthy skin. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility was examined by means of intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and standard error of measurements (SEM). Results showed good ICC values and rather high SEM values for inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of elasticity measurements. For TEWL measurements, ICC values were good and SEM values were high for inter- and intra-observer reproducibility. There was a significant difference between the estimated mean elasticity values of normal skin and grafted scars and between normal skin and spontaneously healed scars (p≤0.003). For the estimated mean TEWL values, there was a significant difference between normal skin and spontaneously healed scars (p=0.036). A significant negative relation was reported between mean TEWL and time after burn (p=0.008). In clinical trials it is necessary to interpret patient-specific changes in elasticity and TEWL with caution, since the SEMs of both modes are rather high. We therefore recommend the use of a mean of repeated measurements of elasticity and TEWL to decrease the SEM.

Beware of the commercialization of human cells and tissues: situation in the European Union.

With this analysis we would like to raise some issues that emerge as a result of recent evolutions in the burgeoning field of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based product (HCT/P) transplantation, and this in the light of the current EU regulatory framework. This paper is intended as an open letter addressed to the EU policy makers, who will be charged with the review and revision of the current legislation. We propose some urgent corrections or additions to cope with the rapid advances in biomedical science, an extensive commercialization of HCT/Ps, and the growing expectation of the general public regarding the ethical use of altruistically donated cells and tissues. Without a sound wake-up call, the diverging interests of this newly established 'healthcare' industry and the wellbeing of humanity will likely lead to totally unacceptable situations, like some of which we are reporting here.

Skin grafting and wound healing-the "dermato-plastic team approach".

Autologous skin grafts are successfully used to close recalcitrant chronic wounds especially at the lower leg. If wound care is done in a dermato-plastic team approach using the "integrated concept," difficulties associated with harvesting the skin graft as well as the complexities associated with inducing closure at the donor and the recipient site can be minimized. In the context of wound healing, skin transplantation can be regarded as (1) a supportive procedure for epithelialization of the wound surface and (2) mechanical stability of the wound ground. By placing skin grafts on a surface, central parts are covered much faster with keratinocytes. Skin (wound) closure is the ultimate goal, as wound closure means resistance to infection. Depending on the thickness of the skin graft, different amounts of dermis are transplanted with the overlying keratinocytes. The dermal component determines the mechanical (resistance to pressure and shear forces, graft shrinkage), functional (sensibility), and aesthetic properties of the graft. Generally speaking, the thicker the graft the better the mechanical, functional, and aesthetic properties, however, the worse the neo- and revascularization. Skin grafts do depend entirely on the re- and neovascularization coming from the wound bed. If the wound bed is seen as a recipient site for tissue graft, the classification of Lexer (Die freien Transplantationen. Stuttgart: Enke; 1924) turned out to be of extreme value. Three grades can be distinguished: "good wound conditions," "moderate wound conditions," and "insufficient wound conditions." Given good wound conditions, skin grafting is feasible. Nevertheless, skin closure alone might not be sufficient to fulfill the criteria of successful defect reconstruction. In case of moderate or insufficient wound conditions, wound bed preparation is necessary. If wound bed preparation is successful and good wound conditions can be achieved, skin grafting is possible. If, however, this attempt is unsuccessful and moderate or "inadequate wound conditions" are persisting, other methods of defect reconstruction such as local flap transfer, distant flap transfer, free (microvascular) flaps, and ultimately amputation must be considered.