Nursing management of skin grafts and donor sites

Skin grafting is one of the most commonly used techniques in plastic and reconstructive surgery. The patient undergoing split-thickness skin grafting may pose a variety of wound care problems for the nurse. The issues that may need to be addressed include: the reasons for grafting; type of graft used; preoperative and postoperative care of the recipient and donor sites; and the provision of general measures required to promote wound healing and successful graft take for the patient.