Scandinavian journal of plastic and reconstructive surgery
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Using the collodion agglutination method the authors studied antibody formation against skin allografts in severely burned patients. They succeeded in detecting antibodies which start appearing on the third day following transplantation at the earliest. Later their titers increase reaching the maximum a few days before first signs of graft rejection. ⋯ Antibodies were not detected if the grafts were taken from an identical twin. In this case the grafts were not rejected. These results could be used for the determination of the optimal time for debridement of adhering allografts before the onset of rejection.
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In the present investigation the burn injuries in Finland are estimated for a non-selected burns population. Annually 0.4% of the population seek medical care for burn injuries. The incidence of burns cases requiring hospital admission is 35/10(5) inhabitants/year. ⋯ The overall hospital mortality of burned adults is 5%, and 1% in children. The most typical burned child is a toddler with a burn covering less than 5% of the skin surface. The average burned adult in hospital is a man of 42 with 12% burn of total skin surface (3% of third degree) and who is discharged after 17 days of hospitalization.