Prolonged retention of glutaraldehyde-treated skin homografts in humans.

Treatment of cadaver skin homografts in vitro with glutaraldehyde significantly prolonged their average retention time from 10.9 to 21.8 days in 21 patients with burns and/or extensive soft tissue injuries. The glutaraldehyde-treated homografts serve as a useful non-viable wound cover. They remain adherent to the wound bed for prolonged periods and support the formation of granulation tissue favourable for the subsequent acceptance of autografts. Toxic symptoms or allergic reactions were not noticed in any of the recipients. Treatment of the skin with glutaraldehyde is simple to perform, requires minimal laboratory equipment, and is not time consuming.