Journal of Precision Medicine and Health Research
Impact of Topical Heparin on Improved Healing Outcomes of Skin Graft Donor Site
By Sania Khalid, Husnain Khan, Javeria Arshad Kiany and 1 others.
Abstract
Background
Split-thickness skin graft harvesting creates a secondary donor-site wound that may cause postoperative pain, delayed epithelialization, and additional morbidity. Topical heparin has been proposed as an adjunct to promote wound recovery.
Objective
To compare healing and postoperative morbidity outcomes between topical heparin-treated and conventionally dressed split-thickness skin graft donor sites.
Methods
This within-participant controlled interventional study was conducted at the Department of Burn and Reconstructive Surgery, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. Forty adults undergoing split-thickness skin grafting contributed two donor sites each, yielding 40 paired comparisons and 80 donor sites. One site received topical heparin from postoperative days 2–5, while the other received conventional dressing. Pain, analgesic requirement, healing time, and edema resolution were assessed. Continuous paired outcomes were analyzed using paired comparisons.