RUBBER FOAM AND STAPLES - DO THEY SECURE SKIN-GRAFTS - A MODEL ANALYSIS AND PROPOSAL OF PRESSURE ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES

The significance of even pressure application and protection against s hearing forces using a tie-over dressing of skin grafts has been stres sed previously. Several methods for pressure enhancement have been des cribed with no quantification or comparison between the different tech niques. Rubber foam and metal staples are commonly used for simple and quick application of the dressings. We developed a model for analyzin g the contact interface of the dressing with the skin graft and the pr essure exerted by it. A stapled rubber foam tie-over dressing was comp ared with the original silk thread tie-over dressing. Six different em bodiments were also analyzed, all constructed using only rubber foam a nd metal staples. Imprint and maximal projection analyses of the under surfaces were performed. The original silk thread tie-over dressing ex erted a relatively low pressure but was uniformly distributed. A regul ar stapled tie-over dressing applied a ring-shaped pressure with minim al projection, Other methods are described providing different contact areas with the grafts and different pressures.