Applying split-thickness skin grafts: a step-by-step clinical guide and nursing implications

Wounds in the lower extremities represent a complex medical dilemma and a significant financial burden on the healthcare system. Often, skin grafts and flaps must be incorporated into the treatment of complex defects. Wound management has developed from a multidisciplinary to a collaborative forum, blurring treatment lines among the specialties. Various clinicians and specialists are playing an increasingly larger role in the healing algorithm of wounds in the lower extremities, including the application of skin grafts. This allows the plastic surgeon to deal with the more complex free flaps and microscopic surgical procedures. A patient's status following skin grafting can be an issue in many nursing care environments. This paper provides a pictorial review of a reliable split-thickness skin graft technique that fosters imbibition and inosculation. The points relevant to nursing care include nursing implications (for the graft and donor site), complications, and what to expect in patients who have undergone the procedure.