Acute excision or exposure treatment? Secondary reconstructions and functional results

To evaluate late-result of burn treatment 102 patients (52 treated with acute excision and grafting and 50 with exposure treatment and grafting on the 14th day) were examined 3 years after the burn injury. The series included patients with small, medium-sized and large burns, 56 of whom had used pressure bandages for about one year. During the first 3 years post-burn, 17 patients with contractures required release operations amounting to a total of 60 reconstructive procedures. At the follow-up 86 contractures, most of them of hands, could be demonstrated in 25 patients, but only 5 needed further reconstructions. No difference in late-result could be demonstrated between the two groups of patients treated by acute excision and by exposure.