The storage of human skin in a viable state is of increasing clinical interest. It is important in plastic and reconstructive surgery for a proper and effective application of stored skin.
Skin can be preserved by freeze-drying, freezing or refrigeration. The first two methods require expansive equipments, and therefore, refrigeration is the commonest method used today. Many surgeons refrigerate the graft in saline damp gauze. Saline, however, regarded as an inferior solution, bacause edematous and friable.
So, we have tried various·solutions in order to lengthen the period of viable skin storage and to improve the quality of stored skin. The various solutions used in this experiment are normal saline, Hartmann`s dexytrose solution, Earle`s solution and Earle`s solution plus aminofucin in equal quantity. We have tested effects of each solution to five male albino rabbits.
Rabbits` skin was stored in a refrigerator at 4℃ with each of these solutions. An initial and subsequent autografts were made at the fifth, tenth and fifteenth storage days. Graft takes were estimated 10 days after the skin graft. The results obtained from the experiments are as follows:
1. The gross quality of skin grafts stored in the three solutions (i.e. Hartmann`s dextrose solution, Earle`s solutionand Earle`s solution plus aminofuction in equal quantity) is strong and elastic than those stored innormal saline.
2. Up to 5 days, grafts stored in Earle`s solution exhibit 100% take, which is the best result among the solutions tested.
3. Up to 10 and 15 days, however, the grafts stored in Earle`s solution plus aminofucin in equal quantity show the best result of 75.5% and 61.5% take, respectively.
4. Half life for graft storage is a 8 days for normal saline, 12 days for Hartmann`s dextrose solution and more than 15 days for Earle`s solution and Earle`s solution plus aminofucin.
5. According to microscopic findings, the more the storage period is elongated, the more inflammatory cells, fibrosis, capillary proliferation, hemorrhage and edema increase.
The data obtained from this experiment indicate that skin storage solution is excellent as following order ― Earle`s solution plus aminofucin, Earle`s solution, Hartmann`s dextrose solution, normal saline.
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