Objective: To observe the effects of minimally invasive tangential excision in treating deep partial-thickness burn wounds on trunk and limbs in pediatric patients in the early stage post burn. Methods: Clinical data of 40 children with deep partial-thickness burn wounds on trunk and limbs, admitted to our burn ward from January 2016 to June 2017, conforming to the study criteria, were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into conventional treatment group (CT, n=19) and minimally invasive tangential excision group (MITE, n=21) according to the different treatments. The patients in group CT were treated with eschar-reserving therapy firstly. When tangential excision was performed, the roller knife was used, and no necrotic tissue left on the wound bed was considered the proper depth of excision. Razor-thickness skin grafting was performed to cover the wound when adipose tissue exposed markedly after tangential excision. Dressing change was performed within 48 h after the operation and repeated every 2 days. Unhealed wounds were covered by razor-thickness skin grafting. The patients in group MITE were treated with tangential excision in the early stage post burn. The tangential excision was operated with electric dermatome, and the thickness was set at 0.1 mm to excise the surface of eschar until the sporadic punctate hemorrhage on wound surface was observed and some necrotic tissue was left on the wound bed. Porcine acellular dermal matrix was applied after tangential excision. The first dressing change was often performed about 1 week after the operation. Razor-thickness skin grafting was performed to cover the unhealed wounds. The length of wound healing, high fever, antibiotic usage, and hospital stay, times of later operation, and hospitalization expenses of patients in the 2 groups were recorded. The excisional eschar and wound bed tissue of patients in group MITE were harvested for pathological observation. Data were processed with t test and Fisher′s exact probability test. Results: (1) There were no statistically significant differences in length of high fever and length of hospital stay and hospitalization expenses between patients in the 2 groups (t=-1.67, -1.93, 0.31, P>0.05). The lengths of wound healing [(24.8±2.5) d] and antibiotic usage [(4.4±0.7) d] of patients in group MITE were significantly shorter than those in group CT [(33.3±2.5) and (7.0±0.7) d, t=-2.44, -2.44, P<0.05], and times of later operation of patients in group MITE [(0.29±0.14) times] were significantly less than those in group CT [(0.79±0.21) times, t=-2.03, P<0.05]. (2) The thickness of the excisional eschar of patients in group MITE was about 150 μm. The eschar has epidermis and upper dermis. Some necrotic tissue was left on the wound bed. Conclusions The treatment for pediatric deep partial-thickness burn wounds on trunk and limbs with minimally invasive tangential excision using electric dermatome in the early stage post burn can accelerate wound healing, shorten length of antibiotic usage, and reduce times of later operations.

Objective: To observe the clinical effects of stage-Ⅱ Meek skin grafting on adipose tissue after tangential excision in patients with extensive deep burns, and to explore the functional mechanism. Methods: The medical records of 26 extensively burned patients who met the inclusion criteria and were admitted to the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from May 2015 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the treatment methods, 14 patients were enrolled in stage-Ⅰ skin grafting group (10 males and 4 females, aged 27 to 75 years), and 12 patients were enrolled in stage-Ⅱ skin grafting group (10 males and 2 females, aged 31 to 76 years). Patients in the 2 groups all underwent debridement of tangential excision, and their healthy adipose tissue was preserved. Meek skin grafting was performed just after tangential excision in patients in stage-Ⅰ skin grafting group. In patients in stage-Ⅱ skin grafting group, porcine acellular dermal matrix (ADM) was applied to cover the wound after tangential excision, and 3 days later, it was removed and Meek skin grafting was performed. The times of complement skin grafting and the wound basic healing time of patients in the 2 groups were observed and recorded. In the stage-Ⅱ skin grafting group, the adipose tissue of patients were taken from the wound center immediately after tangential excision and immediately after the removal of porcine ADM, for the observation of structure of the fault surface of adipose tissue through hematoxylin and eosin staining and microvessel density (MVD) through immunohistochemical staining. Data were processed with independent sample t test and Fisher′s exact probability test. Results: (1) The times of complement skin grafting of patients in stage-Ⅱ skin grafting group was (1.83±0.17) times, which was obviously less than (3.36±0.63) times in stage-Ⅰ skin grafting group (t=2.19, P<0.05). The wound basic healing time of patients in stage-Ⅱ skin grafting group was (35.1±2.3) d, which was obviously shorter than (48.8±4.9) d in stage-Ⅰ skin grafting group (t=2.27, P<0.05). (2) Immediately after tangential excision, the intercellular substance was few between the adipose cells in adipose tissue of patients in stage-Ⅱ skin grafting group. Immediately after the removal of porcine ADM, there was regenerated granulation tissue in the intercellular space of adipose cells of adipose tissue of patients in stage-Ⅱ skin grafting group. Immediately after tangential excision, the MVD of adipose tissue of patients in stage-Ⅱ skin grafting group was 20.2±1.3 under per 400-time field, which was obviously less than 32.2±1.9 under per 400-time field immediately after the removal of porcine ADM (t=-5.38, P<0.01). Conclusions Meek skin grafting on the adipose tissue in stage-Ⅱ surgery after tangential excision could reduce the times of complement skin grafting and shorten wound healing time of patients with extensive deep burns. The mechanism may be related to the improvement of the recipient condition of adipose tissue.