title: Initial general management and surgery of six extensively burned children treated with cultured epidermal autografts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to document the surgical and intensive care methods used in six extensively burned children (EBC), ie, total body surface area (TBSA) burned over 70% or TBSA with deep burns over 60%, treated with cultured epidermal autografts (CEA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Six EBC, with a mean age of 7.5 years (range, 2.5 to 12) received CEA. Their mean TBSA burned was 82% (range, 70-94) with 74% (range, 60-90) of TBSA with deep burns. All sustained flame burns and inhalation injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survival rate was six of six. The average initial and final engraftment rates of CEA were, respectively, 79% (range, 70 to 95) and 84% (range, 72 to 100). CEA definitively covered 45% (range, 18 to 57) of TBSA for a mean cost per child of $80,000 (range, 55,000 to 110,000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even if CEA are expensive, such engraftment rates and survival ratio results make them an excellent alternative wound covering method for EBC when donor sites for widely meshed autografts are exhausted.
authors.affiliation: Burn Center, Percy Military Hospital, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chalumeau
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Saulnier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ainaud
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lebever
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stephanazzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lecoadou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carsin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000601:surgery*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous