Evaluation of the use of Single Stage Dermal Substitutes in acute and chronic wounds of the Hand

Abstract

Abstract Background: Skin substitutes were developed as an alternative to skin grafts, especially for burn patients. Autologous skin grafting is a painful procedure, and often the extent of damaged skin is too large to be covered by autologous tissue graft in existence of limited donor skin. Skin substitutes can be divided into two broad categories: biomaterial and cellular. Biomaterial skin substitutes do not contain cells (a cellular) and are derived from natural or synthetic sources. Natural sources include human cadaveric skin processed to remove the cellular components and retain the structural proteins of the dermis and collagen matrix obtained from bovine and porcine sources. Synthetic sources include degradable polymers such as polylactide and polyglycolide. Aim of the work: The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of dermal substitutes in the treatment of acute and chronic wounds of the hand and to establish an applicable protocol of definitive wound management.