Comparing the application of various engineered xenografts for skin defects: A systematic review
Antoine Salloum, Nagham Bazzi, Stephen L. Squires, Thomas Chu, Paul Benedetto, Anthony V. Benedetto
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Xenografts are a now a cornerstone in the management of wound dressings. Promising results were achieved since 1960 in the application of skin substitute for skin defects. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of various xenografts. METHODS: A literature research was conducted using the following query: 'Porcine skin dermatology substitute', 'bovine skin dermatology substitute', 'xenograft skin substitute dermatology', 'xenografts skin defect', 'porcine skin defect', 'bovine skin defect'. RESULTS: The review yielded 35 articles pertaining to the topic. Main indications for porcine and bovine xenograft application were burn wounds and post-traumatic wounds, respectively. Mean discharge date or length of stay was at the 6th day after porcine application, and the time of graft healing was reported for 33.7% (n = 510) of patients. Promising results were seen with Matriderm and split-thickness skin graft. Most wounds achieved an excellent cosmetic result with full range of motion and a smooth contour appearance. A great variety of tissue substitutes exist, and the choice of graft application should depend on a patient's factors, product availability, wound type, size, and physician's factors. CONCLUSION: In summary, xenografts are more economic and affordable but have higher risk of infections compared to allografts.