The treatment of split thickness skin graft donor sites using n-butyl and n-heptyl 2-cyanoacrylate

Summary 1.The split thickness skin graft donor sites of 40 patients were sprayed with n-butyl 2-cyanoacrylate (36 patients) and n-heptyl 2-cyanoacrylate (4 patients) as the local treatment to the donor sites. 2.This method of local treatment of the split thickness skin graft donor site when compared with plain fine mesh gauze offered a saving of time of the physician and nurses, allowed for a decreased loss of blood at the time of surgery, especially in patients with prolonged bleeding times, decreased the pain and discomfort to the patient, particularly during the first 48–72 hours post-operatively, did not seem to affect the incidence of wound infection, and required an approximately equal time to heal, Eighty-two per cent. of the patients treated with fine mesh gauze in addition to the cyanoacrylate preferred the cyanoacrylate method of local treatment of split thickness skin graft donor sites. 3.Biopsies were obtained from the healed split thickness skin graft donor sites of 20 (50 per cent.) patients. In 6 of these, cyanoacrylate polymer implants were found in the dermis with the size of the particles ranging from 16 to 160 microns. Because of this and the results of Oppenheimer and co-workers, it is felt that these materials are probably not carcinogenic in humans. However, until such time as they are proven so, or until there is a method to prevent incorporation of implants, or until a more rapidly degradable polymer is developed, their use in elective surgery is not indicated.