【Abstract】 Objective To investigate the effectiveness of the vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) technique with split middle thickness skin replantation for the treatment of severe skin closed internal degloving injury (CIDI). Methods Between July 2008 and April 2011, 16 patients with severe skin CIDI were treated. There were 11 males and 5 females, aged 17-56 years (mean, 28 years). Injury was caused by traffic accident in all cases. The time between injury and operation was 2-8 hours (mean, 5 hours). Peeling skin parts included the upper limb in 3 cases and the lower limb in 13 cases. The range of skin exfoliation was 5%-12% (mean, 7%) of the body surface area with different degree of skin contamination. After thorough debridement, exfoliative skin was made split middle thickness skin graft for in situ replantation, and then VSD was performed. Results After 7 days of VSD therapy, graft skin survived successfully in 14 cases; partial necrosis of graft skin occurred in 2 cases, and was cured after thorough debridement combined with antibiotics for 7 days. All patients were followed up 6-18 months (mean, 12 months). The appearance of the limb was satisfactory without obvious scar formation, and the blood supply and sensation were normal.The joint function was normal. Conclusion For patients with severe skin CIDI, VSD treatment combined with split middle thickness skin replantation can improve the local blood circulation of the limb, promote replantation skin survival, and shorten healing time of wound. The clinical effectiveness is satisfactory.
The defatted whole thickness skin flap from the large sized avulsed skin was sutured back to the original wound of the extremity in 366 cases. The patients were followed up for an average of 12 years and 3 months. The functions of the extremities were good, and the surface of the grafted area was smooth, with good luster and good looking. This type of repair provided a high survival rate, simple and less traumatic. The avulsed skin even had abrasion or mild contusion could still be used. The peculiarities of the large sized skin avulsion and the advantages and disadvantages of other reparative methods were discussed.