In surgery, a graft is the transplantation of tissue from one part of the body to another. They are performed for various reasons to close large wounds. Burn victims often need to have skin grafts when the skin has been burned off a part of the body and need to have the skin replaced so that it will grow normally.
The skin graft is the easiest type of graft for surgeons to perform. In this procedure, a slice of skin is taken from an uninjured part of the body, such as the chest, thigh, abdomen or neck, where it will grow back and not cause a noticeable scar. This slice of skin is then attached to the damaged area. At first it obtains the nourishment it needs from the plasma in the damaged area, but gradually capillaries start to grow into the graft and this brings nourishment to the area. As healing progresses, the graft becomes firmly connected to the bed.
In repairing deep or extensive wounds or in reconstructive surgery, the injured area is brought to the site of the graft. For example, in repairing a damaged foot in surgery, the surgical staff will place the foot on the calf of the opposite leg and attach it. Then a section of the calf is cut away for the graft, but one section of it is left in place in order to bring blood and nourishment in the normal manner. After several weeks, when the cut sides of the graft have grown into the damaged area, the attached side is cut loose.
Skin grafts are usually performed from one section of the body to another, but they can also be performed from one person to another. The majority of such skin grafts are rejected, but can be used in temporary and rare situations to prevent an excessive loss of blood or bodily fluids from a badly damaged or burned area of the body. If the graft is rejected, it is then replaced by a permanent graft from the person’s own body.
There are risks associated with skin grafts, just as there are with any type of surgery. These include the risk of bleeding, infection, and nerve damage. If the damage is deep, there is a good possibility of nerve damage occurring before the skin graft actually takes place. There are also cases where skin grafts do not heal as well as they should and have to be repeated. It does need to be closely monitored and protected from trauma for at least two or three weeks after surgery and depending on the location, it may need to be dressed daily for a week or two.
