Blood loss measurement with use of pneumoperitoneum when harvesting split-thickness skin grafts in the abdominal region

Abstract

Reconstruction of extensive skin defects may present difficulty due to a shortage of donor sites. Surgeons often face this problem in grafting large skin defects of the extremities, where it may be necessary to use abdominal, thoracic, lumbar, or scalp skin for reconstruction. For anatomical reasons it is not always possible to get a flat and firm surface from which to harvest a split-thickness skin graft. The abdominal wall can provide a major donor site for these grafts, especially in the case of large skin defects. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of experimental pneumoperitoneum on donor site bleeding during split-thickness skin grafting. Bleeding amounts were measured by milligrams using blotting paper and skin blood perfusion was measured with scintigraphic techniques.