COLOGNE BURN CENTER EXPERIENCES WITH GLYCEROL-PRESERVED ALLOGENEIC SKIN .1. CLINICAL-EXPERIENCES AND HISTOLOGICAL-FINDINGS (OVERGRAFT AND SANDWICH TECHNIQUE)

In an effort to improve the fake of finely meshed autografts a modific ation of the sandwich technique, as first published by Alexander et al . (1981), was developed. In contrast to the techniques described by ot her authors, the wound bed is sealed with fibrin glue spray after exci sion of the burns. Widely meshed autografts are then covered with non- meshed (only scarcely sliced) glycerolized allograft sheets, being fix ed with staples. Patients are placed on fluidized beds and are exposed without dressings from the fifth day onwards. Histologically and clin ically, it can be assumed that part of the glycerolized allodermis is incorporated. During the weeks after transplantation, a creeping subst itution of the allodermis by autologous tissue takes place. This would suggest a co-existence between glycerol-preserved hypo-allergenic all ografts and auto-epidermis. Research on the definitive fate of alloder mis in cases of sandwich grafting is continuing.