Skin flap survival after superficial and deep partial-thickness burn injury

Whether a flap can be raised successfully in a body region that has been su bjected to burn injury remains an issue. The aim of this study was to inves tigate the survival of skin flaps that were elevated after superficial and deep partial-thickness burn injury in a rat model. Sixty-five rats were div ided into five groups: Group 1 (N = 15) was the control group, group 2 (N = 10) included rats with superficial partial-thickness burns that had flaps elevated on day 0, group 3 (N = 15) was comprised up of rats with superfici al partial-thickness burns that had flaps elevated on day 4, group 4 (N = 1 0) included rats with deep partial-thickness burns that had flaps elevated on day 0, and group 5 (N = 15) was comprised of rats with deep partial-thic kness burns that had flaps elevated on day 4. Caudally based dorsal flaps c onsisting of skin and panniculus carnosus were elevated in all groups, and the amount of surviving tissue on each flap was quantified. The surviving a reas of flaps elevated on postburn days 0 and 4 in superficial partial-thic kness burn zones (groups 2 and 3) were larger than those of flaps that were elevated on postburn days 0 and 4 in deep partial-thickness burn zones (gr oups 4 and 5). The surviving portions of flaps that were elevated on day 4 in superficial partial-thickness burn zones (group 3) were similar to the s urviving areas of flaps in the control group (group 1), and were larger tha n those of all other groups (groups 2, 4, and 5), In this rat model, flaps were elevated in superficial dermal burn zones with successful outcomes. Ho wever, raising flaps in deep dermal burn zones was not a reliable method.