Postsurgical Treatment of Split Skin Graft Donor Sites in Dermatological Departments

The surgical removal of split skin grafts (SSGs) leads to superficial wounds that can be covered with different wound dressings. Currently, international guidelines that recommend a standard treatment of the donor sites are not yet established. We developed a questionnaire to evaluate the treatment of SSG donor sites and sent it to all dermatological departments in Germany. Altogether 78 of the 115 contacted departments in Germany participated in our cross-sectional trial. Our analysis reveals that multiple wound dressings with different frequencies of replacement are used. On an average, complete reepithelialization of the donor site takes 14-21 days. Foams and coated gauzes are used in 73% of all surgical procedures for postsurgical treatment of SSG donor sites. Still, neither a significant faster reepithelialization nor a lower rate of wound healing disorders can be assigned to any of the wound dressings. The results of our study indicate that a large number of wound care products and treatment strategies are currently applied on SSG donor sites in dermatological departments in Germany. The selection of the wound dressing is not based on scientific data but rather on the experience of individual experts.