A patient with face and neck burns is scheduled for an autografting procedure. The nurse realizes that which of the following will be done for this patient?

Question

1. the skin will be covered with a mesh to stretch the skin over the burn
2. bovine tendon with collagen will be applied to the burned areas
3. a sheet graft will be taken from one body area and placed over the areas burned
4. normal saline will be applied to the wound before the placement of the graft to encourage adherence

Answer 1

3

Rationale: Sheet grafts usually provide a better cosmetic appearance than meshed grafts, so they are usually used for conspicuous sites such as the face and hands and are the most optimal coverage for burns less than 40 percent total body surface area. Meshed grafts are taken from the donor site, and then expanded using a mesh dermatome. The mesh dermatome makes multiple small slits in the skin, giving it a netting type of appearance. A meshed graft is expanded to cover a larger area; however, the wider the mesh is spread, the longer it takes for wound closure which causes an increase in scar formation. This approach will most likely not be done for the patient with burns on the face and neck. Bovine tendon with collagen is a type of artificial skin and not an autograft. Skin grafts adhere to the recipient site by the presence of serum between the two layers.