New York Burn Injury – Treatments
Skin Substitutes

Many New York burn injury victims require skin grafts in order to cover their wounds, promote healing and avoid long-term complications. The type of skin graft needed by each patient depends on the location of the wound, its depth and its extent. Most of the New York skin grafts patients are individuals who have sustained second and third degree burns on their faces, hands and feet. However, skin grafts can also be used on other areas of the body in order to replace burned skin with healthy tissue. The three main types of skin grafts are autografts, donated skin grafts and artificial skin grafts.

Autografts

Whenever possible, surgeons try to cover the wounded area with the patient's own skin taken from a healthy area of the body. This type of skin graft is referred to as an autograft. It is preferred because a patient's own skin is not rejected by the body's immune system, making autografts permanent and relatively successful. The skin is typically harvested from an area that is usually not seen, such as the buttocks and thighs. The surgeon uses a special instrument to remove a layer of skin that is then transplanted into the burned area.

Autografts can be harvested at various depths depending on the patient's needs. Most autografts are partial thickness grafts that do not require surgical closing of the donor site. New skin grows back within 10–14 days, and the donor site can then be used for additional grafts. However, if the patient has sustained severe burns, a full thickness skin graft might be needed. In this case, the donor site is closed surgically. Recent medical advances also allow doctors to use cultured autografts. If this type of skin graft is selected, patient's skin cells are grown in a laboratory to create a very thin layer of skin that is transplanted in the burned area. Because the new skin layer is extremely fragile, the burned site has to be completely immobile, which requires lengthy hospitalization.

Donated Skin Grafts

In cases of severe burns, it is sometimes impossible to obtain a graft of the patient's own skin. In order to cover the burned area, doctors sometimes use skin grafts from skin banks. The skin tissue banks function similarly to blood banks. The grafts are harvested from donors who have expressed their intent to donate their body parts, the tissue is then tested, and viable skin grafts are preserved in a special solution or in a frozen state. While skin banks offer a solution in emergency situations, donated skin grafts are not permanent. Because the body's immune system recognizes the transplanted skin as foreign, it typically rejects the graft within one to three weeks. As a result, additional surgical burn treatments are required.

Artificial Skin Grafts

Artificial skin grafts are another temporary solution for covering large areas of exposed tissue. These grafts are made from animal products, such as collagen and condroitin, in combination with silicone. Similarly to donated skin grafts, artificial skin substitutes are eventually rejected by the body. However, the synthetic grafts can be indispensible in situations whereby the NY burn injury victim has sustained extensive damage and other skin grafts are not readily available.

Contacting a Burn Injury Lawyer in New York

The sponsors of this website, the law firm of Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz, are highly experienced New York burn victim attorneys. Committed to educating burn injury victims about their legal rights and their treatment options (such as pain management, advanced pressure garments and specialized nutrition), they invite you to explore the various sections of this portal. If you or your loved one has suffered burn injury and you would like to thoroughly discuss your case, please contact their offices at (914) 517-5000.