Three-year experience with Integra dermal regenerative template as a reconstructive tool

Background Since the introduction of Integra dermal regeneration template, several reports have been published worldwide proving its ability as a less invasive reconstructive tool. Our aim is to report our 3-year experience with Integra as the first report from Kuwait. Patients and methods Integra was used for reconstruction of a wide variety of complex wounds in different body locations. The dermal regenerative template replaced soft tissue defect as a first stage followed by skin grafting as a second stage. Forty patients were included with mean age of 40.2 +/- 20.7 years, with 24 cases having one or more comorbidities. Twenty-five patients were female and 15 were males. We had 20 cases with exposed underlying structures in wound bed, including bones, tendons, and joints. Results The average engraftment rate of Integra was 97 +/- 10.2%. Average time for skin grafting was 20.4 +/- 4.8 days and average skin graft take was 95 +/- 10.9%. Early complications included a case of Integra infection and another case of hematoma. After skin grafting, there were two cases of partial graft losses that healed without the need for regrafting. Complete wound healing was achieved in all cases within 8 weeks. Mean follow-up period was 16.65 +/- 8.4 months. No contracture or recurrent ulceration was documented. Apart from hyperpigmentation, 95% of the patients were satisfied with reconstruction outcome, with normal skin pliability in 95% cases, and normal range of movement in 85% of cases. Conclusion Integra is efficient and safe, with wide range of clinical indications. It has very high engraftment rate even in complex wounds with exposed bone or tendon. We observed high patient satisfaction and excellent pliability and final function.