Modification and application of the method for preparing skin graft from small area full-thickness skin tissue

Objective: To explore a modified method for preparing small area skin graft.Methods: Thirty-six pieces of full-thickness skin tissues of the size of 4 cm×4 cm were obtained from the back of Sprague-Dawley rats,and randomly divided into two groups.The full-thickness skin tissues in experimental group were chipped into split-thickness skin grafts with the aid of drum dermatome and double-side gummy paper,and in control group the full-thickness skin tissues were sheared into split-thickness skin grafts with scissors.The auto-grafts were grafted back to the wounds on the back of rats.The condition of wound healing was observed 8 days after grafting,and the survival rate of skin grafts was calculated.The modified method was applied to 21 patients undergoing skin grafting.Results: The skin grafts in experimental group were unbroken and uniform in the thickness,while the skin grafts in control group were ragged and rough partly.The preparation time of experimental group was significantly shorter than that of control group（P＜0.01）,while the survival rate of skin grafts of experimental group was higher than that of control group（P＜0.05）.The auto-grafts of the patients survived well after surgery.Conclusion: The modified method can improve the quality of skin graft and shorten the preparation time effectively.