Application of Adjustable Skin Stretchers in Repairing Wound-Related Defects

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application value of adjustable skin stretchers for repairing skin wound defects. METHODS: Twenty patients with skin defects were included in this study. The largest defect was measured to be 45.4 cm × 13.3 cm (length × width) and the smallest one was 4.4 cm × 3.2 cm (length × width). All patients were subjected to adjustable skin stretchers and the short- and long-term clinical efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: The wounds of all enrolled patients were healed completely except for one patient with a dorsal foot infection (the patient requested to return to the local county hospital for further treatment), with a total satisfaction of 100%. Postoperative 3-month follow-up showed scar formation, a little local hyperpigmentation, normal skin elasticity, and intact organs of involved cases, thus signifying the significant impact of adjacent joint activities. CONCLUSION: Adjustable skin stretchers can accurately control the tension on wound margins, breaking the limitation of previous stretchers to provide objective quantitative indicators for clinical application. These stretchers are characterized by high use-value and are worth promoting.