• Sara Fu-Yin Hsiao, Hsu Ma, Yu-Hei Wang, and Tien-Hsiang Wang.
• Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
• Burns. 2017 Mar 1; 43 (2): 379-387.

BackgroundSplit-thickness skin grafts are widely used in reconstruction of large area defects. Conventional postoperative recipient site care includes saline-moistened gauze with a protective layer of petroleum gauze and splints for immobilization. This method causes pain while changing the dressing. We designed a better occlusive drainage system for split-thickness skin grafts. We compared the treatment effect and subjective evaluation of our occlusive drainage system with that of the conventional method for coverage of split-thickness skin grafts.MethodsA randomized controlled trial was carried out in patients who received split-thickness skin grafts. Patients aged 24-76 years were randomly assigned to the occlusive drainage system or the conventional indirect wet dressing method. The status of graft take, pain, and subjective evaluations were compared.ResultsTwenty-eight participants were enrolled, with 14 in each group. The percentage of graft take was no difference between the 2 groups. No wound infection developed. Patients in the occlusive drainage system group experienced less pain and greater satisfaction. All patients followed up for at least 3 months, and no hypertrophic scar formation was noted.ConclusionComparing with the indirect wet dressing method, this new method is practical for covering split-thickness skin grafts, causes less pain, and provides a better experience for patients.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

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