title: A composite skin substitute (graftskin) for surgical wounds. A clinical experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bioengineered skin substitutes offer tissue replacement without requiring a donor site and might produce better healing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the recipient's response to grafting a bioengineered skin equivalent onto acute surgical wounds.
  
  
  METHODS
  Graftskin, which is made of: 1) a bovine collagen matrix containing human fibroblasts, and 2) an overlying sheet of stratified human epithelium, was grafted onto the excision sites of 15 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood and cell studies for toxicity were negative. Graftskin proved easy to handle, and a typical clinical appearance of the skin substitute during "take" was detected. Compared with expectations improved healing occurred. Twelve of 15 patients had initial clinical takes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Graftskin was not clinically rejected and was not toxic. It often appeared to take and produced better than expected healing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Miami School of Medicine, FL 33101, USA.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Eaglstein
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iriondo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laszlo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D002417:Cattle; D002455:Cell Division; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology; D062109:Dermatologic Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000503:physiopathology; D017768:Skin, Artificial; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D001798:Blood Proteins; D006680:HLA Antigens; D003094:Collagen