title: The bolus tie-over "pressure" dressing in the management of full thickness skin grafts. Is it necessary?
abstract: It has been taught that the bolus tie-over "pressure" dressing is essential for the successful "take" of full thickness skin grafts. This was tested in a prospective randomised trial in which 40 full thickness grafts were either managed with the conventional bolus dressing, or alternatively with quilting sutures and no dressing. Whether under local or general anaesthesia there was only one total graft failure from haematoma (tie-over bolus group) and one partial graft failure from haematoma (quilted group). Sixty-five per cent. of all grafts were performed by junior surgical trainees. The bolus tie-over "pressure" dressing does not appear essential for full thickness skin graft survival in the areas of the head and neck studied.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davenport
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Griffiths
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001458:Bandages; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011897:Random Allocation; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013518:Surgery, Plastic