Trilaminar skin coverage combined with cultured epithelial autografts--a new technique for treating the elderly patient with burn injuries.

Additional morbidity may be associated with standard split-thickness skin graft donor sites in elderly (65 years or older) patients with burn injuries. In an attempt to minimize the area of the donor sites and maximize autografts, we describe a new technique that uses trilaminar harvesting of skin grafts with dermolipectomy closure, and permanent coverage of the autograft layers achieved with cultured epithelial autografts in an elderly burn victim. An 80-year-old man was admitted with a 15% total body surface area burn to the bilateral lower extremities and buttocks. All meshed split-thickness skin grafts (12) applied showed excellent take, and it was reported that the cultured epithelial autograft take was approximately 90%. All dermolipectomy sites healed without infection. Our procedure proved to be a useful technique in the permanent closure of full- and partial-thickness burns in an elderly patient admitted to the burn unit.