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Abstract

Human cadaveric allograft is the most commonly used alternative wound closure material for excised burn wounds when limited donor sites or the overall patient condition does not permit immediate grafting with autologous skin.The Skin Bank in Singapore has supplied a total of 33,000 cm(2) of cryopreserved cadaveric allograft to the Burns Centre in Singapore for the early post-burn treatment of 17 severely burned patients with body surface area (BSA) burn wounds averaging 58% (range 33-90). An average of 13% (range 3-30%) cadaveric allograft was transplanted on 17 patients. Seven patients had recovered from their burn injuries and ten patients died of multiple complications related to their burn injuries. Our clinical observation has shown good adherence of cadaveric allograft when applied on clean and debrided wound bed after 4-7 days of post-operation.The availability of cadaveric allograft permits early excision and wound coverage before the patients' condition is further compromised. Our clinical experience using cryopreserved cadaveric allograft is proving to be indispensable in the management of patients with severe burns.