Human Split-Thickness Skin Allograft from Brain-Dead Donors

BACKGROUND Looking for an appropriate skin substitute for temporary and permanent coverage of wounds remains one of the main obstacles of medical researchers. OBJECTIVE To investigate the rate of inflammation, symbiosis, and survival of grafted allograft skin from brain-dead donors (BDDs) in rabbits. METHODS After receiving negative serologic tests of BDDs, we prepared partial thickness skin grafts. They were then used in treating wounds of 5 rabbits in comparison with split-thickness skins taken from cardiac dead donors. RESULTS On histopathological examinations, we found no difference between the skins. All samples were separated from the baseline in 15-20 days. CONCLUSION Gamma-irradiated freeze-dried human split-thickness skin taken from BDDs is safe and can be used for the treatment of deep skin burns.