Evaluation of a low profile noncontact normothermic wound dressing for split-thickness skin graft donor site healing

The ideal split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor site dressing has yet to be discovered. Ideally, such a dressing would be cost effective, maintain a moist environment to facilitate rapid epithelization, and minimize pain. Noncontact, normothermic wound therapy (NNWT) has been shown to hasten healing time in pressure-related wounds, neuropathic wounds, and venous stasis ulcers. In 1 study, NNWT decreased bacterial counts in pressure ulcers. No studies have looked specifically at NNWT to treat STSG donor sites. The authors conducted a prospective trial to compare a NNWT device (Warm-up(R) Active Wound Therapy, Augustine Medical Inc, Eden Prairie, Minn) to an impregnated gauze dressing control (Xeroform Petrolatum Gauze, The Kendall Company, Mansfield, Mass) for STSG donor site healing in 5 healthy volunteers. Study subjects served as their own controls. Small split grafts (0.012 in) were taken from the upper buttocks bilaterally and either the study or control dressing was applied. Dressing changes were performed over a 4-week period, during which infection, pain, time to healing, and scar quality were evaluated. All donor sites treated with NNWT dressings took longer to heal (14 days versus 10.8 days), had higher rates of bacterial colonization, and caused more pain. Scar quality was similar. While this type of dressing has shown efficacy in healing chronic wounds, the authors do not support its use on STSG donor sites.