Role of autologous fat grafting in burn wounds

• Main Authors: M Rahul, Sunil Sharma
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2018-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Burns
• Subjects: Autologous fat grafting; burns; wounds
• Online Access: http://www.ijburns.com/article.asp?issn=0971-653X;year=2018;volume=26;issue=1;spage=15;epage=19;aulast=Rahul

Introduction: The role of autologous fat grafting in burn wound healing was not studied adequately although there are few references in favor of the same. Autologous fat grafting was used in the treatment of burn wounds showing no signs of healing even after 3 weeks of injury. This study was done to study the role of autologous fat grafts in the treatment of burn wounds and to assess outcome in terms of healing or production of granulations suitable for skin grafting. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a tertiary burn care center. It was a prospective case–control study. The study was done on 30 cases and 30 controls. Burn wounds of duration >21 days with size <40 cm2 were selected for the study. The study group underwent wound debridement followed by autologous fat grafting, whereas controls underwent wound debridement only. The results were assessed on day 3, 6, 10, and 14. Chi-squared test was used; P < 0.05 was statistically significant. Results: Statistically significant differences were noted in the early appearance of healthy granulation tissue, epithelialization from margins, and reduction in size of the wounds, leading to early healing. All patients in the study group developed healthy granulations by day 3, whereas only 6.7% of the control group developed healthy granulations. All the cases among the study group showed epithelisation from margins on day 6, whereas only 3.3% of the controls showed epithelialization from margins. On day 14, 10% of cases in the study group were healed with statistically significant reduction in size of the wounds compared to those on the control group. Discussion: The cases undergoing autologous fat grafting showed significantly improved healing with respect to faster appearance of healthy granulations, epithelialization from margins, and thereby reduction of wound surface area and healing, proving the usefulness of autologous fat grafting in burn wounds. The autologous nature of fat grafts is remarkable considering the solution to the longing problem found inside the body itself.