Temporary skin transplantation for the treatment of extensive burns

Survival of the extensively burned patient depends upon rapid excision of necrotic tissue, and skin grafting to obtain wound closure. When a sufficient supply of autogenous skin is not available to provide wound coverage, allograft skin has been successfully substituted. Although burn patients have been noted to be immunologically hyporesponsive, their immune response to skin allografts has necessitated the administration of immunosuppressive therapy, to assure the retention of the allografts until sufficient autogenous skin can be utilized. The temporary transplantation of skin allografts has proved successful in the treatment of extensively burned children.