An unusual donor site, a lifesaver in extensive burns

The availability of donor sites is a limiting factor in autologous skin grafting and, therefore, the survival of patients with large total body surface area (TBSA) burns. Of 19 males admitted to our facilities with burns greater than 80% TBSA, eight had the scrotum spared injury. The remaining 11 patients served as a control population to study the efficacy of scrotal donor harvests. The scrotal skin was expanded using the Pitkin syringe and harvested at a depth of 5/1000 to 8/1000 in, with a mean yield of 73 +/- 8 sq cm. Expanded 4:1, this tissue covered an area of 280 +/- 33 sq cm. The scrotum was harvested 2 +/- 0.4 times, compared to 4 +/- 1 harvests of the other donor group. There were no statistical differences in the number of surgical procedures or the length of hospitalization between the two groups. The scrotal donor sites healed within the same length of time as other donor sites and were harvestable as frequently. Due to the natural expandability of scrotal skin, a large surface area of usable donor site is available and their harvest may be lifesaving in male patients with large TBSA burns.