Absorbable skin graft staples: a clinical trial using Graftac-X

An Outcome Analysis of Fibrin Sealant versus Staples for Fixation of Split-Thickness Skin Grafts

Background  Skin grafting plays a vital role in post-burn and post-traumatic wound management. Split-thickness skin grafts (STSG) are traditionally fixed using staples or sutures, which have tedious application and their removal necessitates painkillers, medical equipment, and human intervention. As an alternative, fibrin sealant is a biological tissue adhesive, composed of thrombin, calcium, and fibrinogen. Fibrin sealant promotes hemostasis and acts as a biological adherent. Objective  The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes (graft take, wound healing and complications) of fibrin sealant and staples for STSG fixation. Methods  It is a randomized controlled trial on 40 patients with wounds of minimum 400 cm 2 . Wound area was divided into equal halves and randomly allocated to the study group or control group. In the study group, 4 mL per 200 cm 2 of fibrin sealant was sprayed followed by STSG application. In the control group, STSG was fixed with only skin staples. Evaluation was done on postoperative days 3, 5, 15, and 30 for graft take, hematoma/seroma, infection, and complete wound healing. Results  The mean graft take was significantly higher ( p -value < 0.05) in the study group than in the control group (91 vs. 89%). No seroma or hematoma formation was seen in either group. Complete wound healing was seen in more patients in the study group, but the difference was statistically insignificant. Conclusion  Fibrin sealant is an excellent alternative to staples for skin grafting, with the advantage of better graft take and being free of pain that is incurred during staple removal.

Full-thickness Skin Graft Fixation Techniques: A Review of the Literature

Multiple techniques for skin graft fixation have been proposed, but the evidence underlying these techniques is unclear. This study aimed to review the literature for full-thickness graft fixation techniques. PubMed was electronically searched to identify relevant studies. The search strategy identified 91 relevant articles. These consisted of 2 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 10 observational cohort studies (8 retrospective, 2 prospective), and 79 descriptive studies (case series, case reports, or expert opinion articles). Both identified RCTs compared the tie-over dressing against a modified tie-over dressing. The tie-over dressing was also included in all identified observational studies, and comparisons were made against quilting/mattress suturing (4 studies, 181 grafts in total), simple pressure dressings (3 studies, 528 grafts), non-tie-over dressings non-specifically (1 study, 71 grafts), hydrocolloid dressings (1 study, 62 grafts), and double-tie over dressings (1 study, 43 grafts). No significant differences were found between fixation methods for graft take, haematoma rate, and infection rate. No studies have found a significant difference between tie-over dressings and alternative graft fixation technique, with the most evidence for simple pressure dressings and quilting/mattress suturing. However, the evidence base consists mostly of small, retrospective observational studies. This article describes the current evidence base and this should be considered when planning future reports in the field.

Surgical treatment and management of the severely burn patient: Review and update

Since one of the main challenges in treating acute burn injuries is preventing infection, early excising of the eschar and covering of the wound becomes critical. Non-viable tissue is removed by initial aggressive surgical debridement. Many surgical options for covering the wound bed have been described, although split-thickness skin grafts remain the standard for the rapid and permanent closure of full-thickness burns. Significant advances made in the past decades have greatly improved burns patient care, as such that major future improvements in survival rates seem to be more difficult. Research into stem cells, grafting, biomarkers, inflammation control, and rehabilitation will continue to improve individualized care and create new treatment options for these patients.

PolysorbR (an absorbable lactomer) staples, a safe closure technique for distal pancreatic resection

AIM: To investigate twenty-year experience evaluated the use of the Polysorb^R (an absorbable lactomer) staples for distal pancreatic resection.

METHODS: The data on 150 patients [92 men, 58 women, mean age 52 (24-72) years] who underwent distal pancreatectomy (DP) in the last 20 years were collected prospectively from an electronic database. The diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, sonography, computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. The indications for DP were focal pancreatic necrosis, spontaneous pancreatic fistulas, abscesses, pseudocysts, segmental chronic obstructive pancreatitis in the tail, traumatic disruption, and benign (cystadenomas, insulinomas, or glucagonomas) or malignant tumours. The distal resections were performed without splenectomy in 29 of the 150 patients (19%). In the event of splenectomy, the splenic artery and vein were individually ligated, the TA-55 Auto Suture stapler, loaded with Premium Polysorb^R 55 staples (5.5 mm), was placed across the gland, and the trigger was pulled, the action of which produced two staggered absorbable suture lines. The gland distal to the stapler was then amputated with a scalpel on the TA-55 stapler and the two rows of staples were left in the proximal pancreatic stump. After the distal resection, a drainage tube was inserted into the pancreatic bed.

RESULTS: The average duration of the operation was 150 min (range: 90-210 min) and no transfusion was indicated during the operation. After DP in one patient a type B fistula was diagnosed, which was treated successfully by conservative treatment comprising of 12-d octreotide medication (3 × 0.1 mg/d) and jejunal feeding. The incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula was therefore 0.6%. Another 2 patients suffered postoperative pancreatitis, which was also conservatively treated. Reoperations were performed in 2 patients on the first or second postoperative day, necessitated by bleeding from the retroperitoneal region. The morbidity was 3.3% (5 patients), but no mortality occurred in the postoperative period. Overall, the postoperative period was uneventful without any complications (pancreatic fistula, abscess, bleeding or wound infection) in 145 patients. The length of the postoperative stay ranged between 8 and 16 d. For the 145 patients who had no any postoperative complications, the hospital stay was 8 or 9 d. No mortality occurred in the follow-up period (6 or 12 mo postoperatively); but 6 mo after surgery one patient suffered a pseudocyst following recurrent pancreatitis and was treated with cystojejunostomy.

CONCLUSION: Our clinical results demonstrated that the application of absorbable lactomer staples for distal pancreatic resection is a safe alternative to the standard closure technique.

Efficacy and safety of a fibrin sealant for adherence of autologous skin grafts to burn wounds: results of a phase 3 clinical study

The objective of this phase 3, multicentered, prospective, randomized, evaluator-blinded, clinical study was to compare skin graft adherence utilizing a fibrin sealant containing 4 IU/ml thrombin (FS 4IU VH S/D [FS 4IU VH S/D will be marketed under the trade name ARTISS upon licensure in the United States]) to graft adherence utilizing staples in burn patients requiring wound excision and skin grafting. FS 4IU VH S/D was compared with staples in 138 patients. Patients had burn wounds measuring < or =40% of total body surface area with two comparable test sites measuring between 1 and 4% total body surface area each. Wound closure at day 28 was assessed using test site planimetry and review of day 28 photographs by three independent blinded evaluators (primary endpoint analysis). Secondary efficacy measures included hematoma/seroma on day 1, engraftment on day 5, and wound closure on day 14. Investigator and patient-reported outcomes were also assessed. The proportion of test sites with complete wound closure at day 28 was 70.3% in FS 4IU VH S/D treated sites and 65.8% in stapled sites, as assessed by planimetry. Blinded review of day 28 photographs confirmed that the rate of complete wound closure was similar between the two treatments, although the overall assessed rates of closure were lower than those determined by planimetry: FS 4IU VH S/D (43.3%) and staples (37.0%). The lower limit of the 97.5% confidence interval of the difference between FS 4IU VH S/D and staples was -0.029, which is above the predefined noninferiority margin of -0.1. Therefore, FS 4IU VH S/D is at least as efficacious as staples at the 97.5% one-sided level for complete wound closure by day 28. Hematoma/seroma on day 1 occurred at significantly (P < .0001) fewer FS 4IU VH S/D-treated sites (29.7% [95% CI 22.2-38.1%]) compared with stapled sites (62.3% [95% CI 53.7-70.4%]). Engraftment on day 5 was deemed to be 100% in 62.3% (95% CI 53.7-70.4%) of the FS 4IU VH S/D-treated sites and 55.1% (95% CI 46.4-63.5%) of the stapled sites (P = .0890). Complete wound closure by day 14 occurred in 48.8% (95% CI 39.9-57.8%) of the FS 4IU VH S/D treated sites and 42.6% (95% CI 34.0-51.6%) of the stapled sites (P = .2299). FS 4IU VH S/D scored significantly better than staples for all investigator-assessed outcomes, namely quality of graft adherence (P < .0001), preference for method of fixation (P < .0001), satisfaction with graft fixation (P < .0001), and overall quality of healing (P < .0001). Likewise, FS 4IU VH S/D scored significantly better than staples for all patient-assessed outcomes, namely anxiety about pain (P < .0001) and treatment preference (P <.0001). The safety profile of FS 4IU VH S/D was excellent as indicated by the lack of any related serious adverse experiences. These findings demonstrate that FS 4IU VH S/D is safe and effective for attachment of skin grafts, with outcomes at least as good as or better than staple fixation.

Safe closure technique for distal pancreatic resection

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Various methods had previously been employed to manage the proximal pancreas after distal resection (mattress sutures with duct ligation; pancreato-enterostomy or stapling with stainless steel staples, etc.), with postoperative complications in 13% (6%-30%) of the cases, on average. In our practice, to reduce these complications, we applied staples made from Polysorb (Auto Suture), an absorbable lactomer.

PATIENTS/METHODS

In the past 10 years, distal pancreatic resection in 90 patients [62 men, 28 women, mean age 52 (24-72)] years) was followed by closure of the resection surfaces with absorbable lactomer clips. Indications for distal resection (with or without splenectomy) were: focal pancreatic necrosis, spontaneous pancreatic fistulas, abscess, pseudocyst, traumatic disruption, segmental chronic obstructive pancreatitis in the tail, and benign (cystadenoma, or insulinoma) or malignant tumours.

RESULTS

The postoperative period was uneventful in all these patients, without any complications (pancreatic fistula, abscess or bleeding). No morbidity or mortality occurred in the follow-up period (6 or 12 months postoperatively) with the exception of one patient who suffered a pseudocyst 6 months after surgery and was treated by cysto-jejunostomy.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical results clearly demonstrated that the application of absorbable lactomer staples for closure of the transected margin of the pancreas is a safe alternative to the standard closure technique. These staples can be applied in all cases when distal pancreatic resection is indicated for benign or malignant disorders or a traumatically injured pancreatic gland.

Skin resurfacing for the burned patient

It has been estimated that 2 million people per year have burns requiring medical attention in the United States. The available and expert clinicians in dedicated burn centers around the country have cared successfully for these patients and given them a second chance at a functional life. It still behooves current-day plastic surgeons to be knowledgeable and adept in their care, not only because they may be called upon at times to manage some of the smaller acute burns, but also because many of the general principles of burn reconstruction and wound management are relevant to other areas of general plastic surgery. Acute burns should be dealt with like any other major trauma with the ABCs of aggressive resuscitation and airway management. Like any other wound, debridement and nutrition are important (i.e., early escharectomy of the burn wound and enteral nutrition during the hypermetabolic state). Early coverage of the open wound is essential to limit bacterial colonization and prevent infection and to reduce fluid and electrolyte and heat loss. If autografts are not available immediately, temporary coverage with one of the above-mentioned barrier materials should be used. Still, autografts, when available, should be the burn surgeon's first choice. Donor sites may be reharvested to provide more autograft than was anticipated with large-percentage TBSA burns. Physicians should keep in mind the advantages (and disadvantages) of using the scalp and back. As far as research and technological advances in the area of plastic surgery, burn surgery may be the most progressive, with the evolution of biologic tissue-engineered skin substitutes and the research of growth factors in healing. Further improvements in tissue engineering and technology should result in even more effective skin substitutes and hence better functional and aesthetic outcomes with economic efficiency in large burns.