Skin Preservation at a Supraphysiologic Temperature and Induction of Epithelial Cysts by Subcutaneous Grafting: Attempts to Simplify Evaluation of Storage Media and of Graft Viability

Abstract

This pilot study used a new experimental rat model designed to explore whether in-depth investigation of the following two questions would be reasonable: (1) Can skin storage media be faster evaluated by storing skin at a supraphysiologic temperature, and (2) can evaluation of skin graft viability be facilitated by subcutaneous grafting leading to production of epithelial cysts from the viable portions of the grafts? The experiment involved skin storage at 47.3°C in saline and in 10% Dextran 40 solution for periods ranging from 0 to 18 min, followed by subcutaneous grafting. The surface area of the resultant epithelial cysts and the cyst-to-graft ratio inversely correlated with storage time, which is in accordance with a well-established analogous relationship involving the rate of graft ‘take’. The skin tended to remain viable longer in Dextran 40 solution, which is consistent with previous studies of low temperature storage demonstrating superiority of high-molecular-weight solutions. The results warrant further investigation of the above issues.