Hydrogel-impregnated dressings for graft fixation: a case series
1Resident at Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea.
Objective:
Infection is the second most common cause of graft loss after skin grafting. Cutimed Sorbact is a range of dressings coated with a hydrophobic fatty acid that irreversibly binds to the bacterial surface and mechanically removes bacteria from the wound. The dressing is a hydrogel-impregnated material, which prevents wounds from drying. Here, we report on cases in which we used the gel instead of the widely used petrolatum gauze or paraffin gauze in a tie-over dressing for the fixation of grafted skin.
Method:
Patients treated for skin grafting between March 2013 and July 2013 were treated with the hydrogel-impregnated dressings and a tie over dressing. The wounds were opened five days after treatment.
Results:
In total seven patients were treated with an age range of 23-86 years old. No infections were seen and the method was effective regardless of wound size, the thickness of the skin harvested and condition of the defect.
Conclusion:
Using this hydrogel-impregnated dressings, provide antibacterial and moisturising effects simultaneously, which a petrolatum or paraffin gauze cannot provide.
Declaration Of Interest:
There were no external sources of funding for this study. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
