title: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of epidermal grafting for wound healing.
abstract: Autologous skin grafting is an important method for wound coverage; however, it is an invasive procedure and can cause donor site morbidity. Epidermal grafting (EG) enables epidermal transfer to wounds with minimal donor site morbidity. However, data to date have been heterogeneous. This study aims to synthesise the current evidence on EG for wound healing to establish the efficacy of this surgical technique. A comprehensive search in the MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL databases was conducted. The endpoints assessed were proportion of wounds healed and mean wound-healing time. This systematic review was conducted and reported according to the Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. We identified 1568 articles, of which seven articles were included in this review - a total of 209 wounds in 190 patients. The mean wound duration was 17·06 weeks (95% CI 8·57-25·55). Of these, 71·5% (95% CI 56·7-84·2) of the wounds achieved complete healing. Mean time for complete wound healing was 5·53 weeks (95% CI 3·18-7·88). The mean donor site healing time was 7·48 days (95% CI 4·83-10·13), with no reported donor site morbidity. The current data are small and lack level 1 evidence.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK.|London Wound Healing Group, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Muholan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanapathy
authors.affiliation: London Wound Healing Group, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Oliver J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: London Wound Healing Group, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hachach-Haram
authors.affiliation: London Wound Healing Group, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bystrzonowski
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK.|London Wound Healing Group, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Afshin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mosahebi
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK.|London Wound Healing Group, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Toby
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Richards
mesh_terms: D004817:Epidermis / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous / Q000379:methods*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Epidermal graft; Skin graft; Systematic review; Wound healing