The effectiveness of amniotic membrane as a biological dressing on the donor site of the split thickness skin graft

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of amniotic membrane as a biological dressing in the healing, relieving of pain, decreasing the possibility of infection and decreasing the discoloration and hypertrophic scars of split-thickness skin graft (SSG) donor sites.Design: Case-control prospective study.Setting: Burns and plastic unit (BPU), Al-Jumhoori teaching hospital , during the period from Sept.2002 to April 2004.Participants: Sixty donor sites in 40 patients, in whom we used the thigh as a donor site for SSG, were studied.Results: The study revealed that the time required for complete healing is less in amniotic membrane-treated group (group 1) than in traditionally-treated group (group 2). There was also less pain, less infection and more color match in group 1 than in group 2.Conclusion: Amniotic membrane is a good and beneficial biological dressing. It hastens wound healing, protects donor sites from infection and reduces its pain.Key words: Amniotic membrane, donor sites, split-thickness skin graft.