In vitro preservation of traumatic human skin autografts in a massive degloving injury.

The in vitro preservation of human skin autografts is a valuable technique in the management of severe degloving injuries. The authors describe the storage of traumatically induced human skin autografts involving nearly one third of the total body surface of a patient. These autografts were preserved in tissue-culture medium for 19 days and then transplanted onto the patient's prepared wounds, successfully acting as biologic dressings and permanent grafts. To the authors' knowledge, this is the largest clinical application of skin-storage techniques for the preservation of traumatic human skin autografts that is known to have been reported.