Diagnosis of structure of donor site skin in patients with burns and sepsis according to ultra-high-frequency ultrasound

Abstract

The lack of intact skin in extensive burns makes it necessary to repeatedly use donor sites to obtain grafts. This is possible if there is sufficient thickness and structure of the donor site skin. The thickness and structure of the donor site skin may deteriorate due to sepsis. Purpose: to study the structure of the donor site skin in patients with burns and sepsis using Ultra-High Frequency Ultrasound (UHFUS) data. The study involved 44 patients with skin burns: 30 without sepsis, 14 with sepsis. Donor site was examined 12 days after graft harvesting. Methods -UHFUS (75 MHz), histology, immunohistochemistry. Results. Donor site without sepsis was characterized by thin epidermis and low overall skin thickness (72% compared to intact skin). At the same time, the papillary layer was increased to 127% (p=0.022). In patients with sepsis, all skin layers, including the papillary dermis, were thinner than in intact skin and thinner than in patients without sepsis. Histomorphometry confirmed UHFUS results.