Outcomes of skin substitutes in pediatric extremity post-burn scars

Abstract

Background: Improvements in acute burn care have reduced mortality and improved survival in burns involving 90–95% of total body surface area. Patients with these large burns have extensive scarring, contractures, limited joint mobility, pruritus, and pain, are dissatisfied with their appearance, and lose normal physiological function for many years. As of 2015-2021, 69.4% of all burns are children aged 0-18, and 68.4% of burns are children aged 1-4. Researchers found that hypertrophic scars, the most common post-burn limb scars, account for 70% of all cases. Therefore, in our country, the study of the results of surgical treatment using skin substitutes for children’s limb burns is the basis for conducting this study. Aim: To determine the results of surgical treatment of skin substitute-skin tissue implantation with thin stratified skin in post-burn scars of limbs. Materials and Methods: We used the POSAS method to evaluate the scars before and on the 7th, 14th, 30th, and 60th days before and after the surgery, and calculated the results by taking photographs and measuring the results of 96 children undergoing skin repair surgery to release post-burn scars in a clinical trial research model. Results: It was determined that Alloderm Thin STSG was performed on the largest area of the donor area treated with surgery (P<0.0001), and the wound healing time of Alloderm Skin Substitute-Skin It was determined that it was the lowest in the tissue implant (Alloderm Thin STSG) patch group (P<0.0001). Recipient site wound healing was observed to have the shortest healing time in the semi-complete stratified skin graft (Thick STSG) group (P<0.0001). Observer and client scar assessment (POSAS) showed significant improvement in treatment outcome at day 14, but no statistically significant difference was observed. Conclusion: In a study of Alloderm dermal substitute-dermal tissue graft thin-layer skin grafting for post-extremity burn scars by Observer and Client Scar Assessment (POSAS), there was no statistically significant difference compared to traditional methods. Alloderm can be used in post-burn scar treatment studies for large scar areas, improving cosmetic and functional outcomes by accelerating donor site wound healing.