The use of negative-pressure wound therapy over a cultured epithelial autograft for full-thickness wounds secondary to purpura fulminans in an infant
- Author:
Benjamin Kah Liang GOH
1
;
Alvin Wen Choong CHUA
;
Khong Yik CHEW
;
Gavin Chun-Wui KANG
;
Li-Wei CHIANG
;
Bien-Keem TAN
;
Savitha RAMACHANDRAN
Author Information
- Publication Type:Case Report
- From:Archives of Plastic Surgery 2021;48(3):338-343
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Purpura fulminans is a serious condition that can result in severe morbidity in the pediatric population. Although autologous skin grafts remain the gold standard for the coverage of partial- to full-thickness wounds, they have several limitations in pediatric patients, including the lack of planar donor sites, the risk of hemodynamic instability, and the limited graft thickness. In Singapore, an in-house skin culture laboratory has been available since 2005 for the use of cultured epithelial autografts (CEAs), especially in burn wounds. However, due to the fragility of CEAs, negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) dressings have been rarely used with CEAs. With several modifications, we report a successful case of NPWT applied over a CEA in an infant who sustained 30% total body surface area full-thickness wounds over the anterior abdomen, flank, and upper thigh secondary to purpura fulminans. We also describe the advantages of using NPWT dressing over a CEA, particularly in pediatric patients.
