The use of cultured epithelial autograft in the treatment of major burn wounds: eleven years of clinical experience.
BACKGROUND
In patients with burns involving over 50% total body surface area (TBSA), donor skin is limited. Tissue engineering, particularly cultured epithelial autograft (CEA), offers a potential solution to assist in expedient wound closure.


METHODS
Prior to 1994, the application of CEA was restricted to confluent cell sheets. The introduction of an autologous cell suspension (CellSpray) in 1994 enabled cells to be delivered to the wound via aerosol onto debrided burn and donor skin graft wound areas. This retrospective clinical audit of major burn injured patients (n=84) describes the use of CEA in those with over 50%TBSA in Western Australia (WA) between 1992 and 2002.


RESULTS
The initial introduction of CEA was as confluent sheets, as this evolved to the use of CEA in suspension there was a reduction in the required surgical intervention and total length of stay (TLOS) divided by %TBSA.


CONCLUSIONS
With the audit covering an 11-year period, many facets of clinical burn care have evolved. The WA experience has demonstrated CEA has been positively integrated into clinical practice in association with traditional wound care techniques of skin grafting to augment wound healing.
Wood
F M
FM
Burn Service of Western Australia, Royal Perth Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, GPO Box X2213, Perth, Western Australia 6847, Australia. fionaw@mccomb.org.au
Kolybaba
M L
ML
Allen
P
P
D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000628:therapy*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014945:Wound Healing