Background: Split-thickness grafts (STSGs) harvesting
is a common technique to reconstruct absent skin and to reestablish
the skin barrier in burn and skin defects. Donor site
morbidity is not uncommon. Various materials and dressings
had been used to improve healing of donor site. Fat grafting
or its components had been used in promotion of healing in
chronic and irradiated wounds indicating the possibility of
improving healing.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of adding nano fat grafts
to donor sites of STSGs.
Patients and Methods: Twenty (20) adult patients were
included in this comparative self-controlled clinical trial from
March 2020 to April 2021. These patients had raw areas of
skin needing STSG. STSG thickness was 0.12.5 inch leaving
an area measuring 7x15cm (105cm2) at the donor site. The
donor site area in the lower limb was used as a test area where
it was divided into two equal areas, one area was covered by
nano fat graft and Vaseline gauze (group A), the other acting
as a control group was covered by Vaseline gauze only (group < br />B). Group A was compared to group B as regard healing time
from 10th day onward and quality of healing after one month
using Vancouver scale (VSS). Tissue biopsy was taken at day
21 from both groups. Any Donor site complications were
noted.
Results: Comparing The rate of donor site healing in
group A with group B, group A showed faster healing with a
mean of (13.30±2.61) versus (16.05±2.43) days from the date
of harvesting of STSG. Histologically the mean thickness of
neo epithelium in group A was more than that of group B with
a mean value of 255.04±15.27mm and 161.15±28.75mm consecutively.
Group A showed better vascularity and pliability
while no difference was detected as regard pigmentation and
height. Infection occurred in donor site of one patient.
Conclusions: Using topical nano fat graft and Vaseline
gauze on the donor site of STSG improves healing time as
well as vascularity and pliability in comparison to Vaseline
gauze alone.