Management of Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Sites
Summary
Effective management of split-thickness skin graft donor sites balances rapid wound closure, minimised pain, reduced scarring and cost-effectiveness. Traditionally, donor sites heal by secondary intention and are dressed with a variety of materials including alginates, polyurethane foams, hydrocolloids and non-adherent gauzes. Key considerations include the rate of re-epithelialisation, analgesic requirements, frequency of dressing changes and aesthetic outcomes. Emerging approaches encompass biological dressings seeded with cells or growth factors, autologous minced graft techniques and adjuvant local anaesthetic strategies. Systematic reviews underscore the superiority of moist wound environments in accelerating epithelial migration and lowering pain, yet consensus on an optimal dressing has not been reached. Recent innovations explore repurposing residual graft tissue to enhance healing, while comparative trials assess modern dressings against conventional standards. Interdisciplinary efforts now focus on integrating wound-healing science with practical protocols to standardise donor-site care, improve patient comfort and enable timely re-harvesting when necessary.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Management of Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Sites publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in management of split-thickness skin graft donor sites across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Split-thickness skin graft: A graft comprising the epidermis and a portion of the dermis, harvested for coverage of defects while preserving donor site healing by secondary intention.
Donor site: The anatomical region from which skin is harvested for grafting, managed as a partial-thickness wound requiring specialised dressings.
Re-epithelialisation: The process by which keratinocytes migrate to cover a wound surface, restoring the epidermal barrier.
Moist dressing: A wound covering designed to maintain a hydrated environment, facilitating cell migration, reducing pain and optimising healing.
Minced residual skin graft: Technique involving the redistribution of finely minced autograft fragments onto the donor site to enhance regenerative healing.
References
- Meta-analysis and Systematic Review of Skin Graft Donor-site Dressings with Future Guidelines. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Global Open (2018).
- CICAFAST: comparison of a biological dressing composed of fetal fibroblasts and keratinocytes on a split-thickness skin graft donor site versus a traditional dressing: a randomized controlled trial. Trials (2019).
- Polyurethane Versus Calcium Alginate Dressings for Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Site: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus (2021).
- Use of Minced Residual Skin Grafts to Improve Donor Site Healing in Split-Thickness Skin Grafting. Cureus (2022).
- Comparison of bupivacaine versus bupivacaine-dexamethasone infiltration for postoperative analgesia in skin graft donor sites: a randomized trial. Ain-Shams Journal of Anesthesiology (2020).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.