A Novel Technique to Achieve Rapid Wound Healing of Donor Site Wounds in Split-Thickness Skin Grafts of a Patient Undergoing Anticoagulation Therapy.

ABSTRACT

Split-thickness skin grafts constitute an established and widely used procedure for treating skin ulcers. However, in patients on anticoagulation therapy, wound healing abnormalities can prevent smooth epithelialization of their donor site. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of a technique to facilitate smooth wound healing through partial dimension reduction, and spared skin grafts back of donor sites with split-thickness skin grafts for patients undergoing anticoagulation therapy and investigate its usefulness. Partial dimension reduction and spared skin grafting back was performed on the donor site in 4 cases (group A), and the conventional method (moist dressing) was performed in 3 cases (group B). We compared the time to achieve complete epithelialization, the degree of pain, the frequency of dressing changes during the perioperative period, and the cosmetic results 6 months after surgery in both groups. The spared skin graft achieved good circulation. The time to achieve complete epithelialization was 3.1 weeks (2.5-4 weeks) in group A and 5.7 weeks (3-8 weeks) in group B; group A tended to experience less pain and fewer dressing changes during the perioperative period than group B. In addition, group A yielded superior cosmetic results to group B. Our technique can contribute to increasing the defense against physical stimulation in the donor site. Therefore, rapid wound healing and easy wound management can be achieved. We believe that it may be useful in split-thickness skin grafts for patients undergoing anticoagulation therapy.