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. 2011 Apr;9(2):156-61.
doi: 10.2450/2011.0107-09. Epub 2011 Jan 17.

The use of banked skin in the Burns Centre of Verona

Federica Bosco  1 , Maurizio Governa, Leonardo Rossati, Enrico Vigato, Aurora Vassanelli, Giuseppe Aprili, Massimo Franchini
Affiliations

The use of banked skin in the Burns Centre of Verona

Federica Bosco et al. Blood Transfus. 2011 Apr.

Abstract

Background: The use of glycerol and subsequent research enabling the conservation of tissues over time have led to the establishment and development of tissue banks, first in the USA and then in Europe. The Verona Tissue Bank was instituted in 2003 as the Regional Centre for the storage of skin and bone, adding to the already existing Italian banks at Turin, Milan, Cesena and Siena. This retrospective study analyses the use of banked skin (autologous and allogeneic grafts) from April 2003 (date of starting activity) to December 2007, in 171 patients with burns and four with necrotising fasciitis at the Burns Centre of Verona.

Materials and methods: Homologous skin was used for superficial and deep skin burns to protect the residual structures, thus facilitating healing by spontaneous re-epithelialisation, and for deep burns after eschar removal to clean and prepare the base of the lesion for the definitive autologous graft. The placement of a homologous graft alone led to spontaneous healing of lesions in 65 patients (36 aged >15 years and 29 aged <15 years) with superficial skin burns, while the remaining 106 patients (84 aged >15 years and 22 aged <15 years) with deeper burns underwent surgery.

Conclusions: The results obtained confirm the essential role of banked skin in covering superficial burns in order to protect important underlying structures and in deep burns by guaranteeing a good preparation of the base of the lesion for the subsequent definitive autologous graft.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Case 1: superficial skin burn (a), covered with homologous grafts (b) and (c), and healing at day 13 (d).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Case 2: grade II burns of the face, covered with homologous grafts (a), after 7 days (b) and healing at day 25 (c).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Case 3: deep skin burn (a), debridement and overlay with homologous grafts at day 13 (b), definitive cover with autologous grafts (c).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Case 4: full thickness burn of the trunk (a), after debridement and overlay of homologous grafts (b) and at the follow-up control at 3 months (c) and (d).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Case 5: superficial skin burn in a child (a), treated with biological dressings (b) and (c), and control at 10 days (d).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Case 6: necrotising fasciitis (a) and (b), with placement of homologous and autologous grafts (c) and follow-up at 3 months (d).
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