Suction blister skin grafting--a modern application

The suction blistering technique produces an ultra-thin skin graft with no morbidity at the donor site. Negative pressure using wall suction in outpatients is used to generate a graft that can be used for reconstruction, and it avoids the need for invasive procedures in patients with coexisting conditions. The harvested tissue has a low metabolic demand and survival is excellent. We used it in a patient when previous reconstructions after excision of skin cancer had failed. Graft survival was more than 95% by surface area and there was no donor site morbidity. We have found it particularly useful for grafting over Integra® dermal regeneration template (Integra LifeSciences Corporation, NJ, USA) to produce healing at difficult sites. Patients tolerate the procedure well and the donor site heals quickly. It is useful where recipient vascularity is poor or where coexisting conditions prevent complex procedures.