Xenogenic (porcine) acellular dermal matrix is useful for the wound healing of severely damaged extremities

This study was conducted to investigate the possibility of improving the success rate of patient treatment and promoting wound healing by utilizing xenogenic (porcine) acellular dermal matrix (XADM) to cover large areas of severely damaged wounds. Patients with severely damaged large-area wounds (56 cases) were enrolled in the study from May 2002 to May 2012. All patients admitted to hospital received a rapid infusion via intravenous access to maintain an effective circulating blood volume and to correct disorders of water and electrolytes. The wounds were exposed and covered with XADM during the initial surgery. All patients subsequently received secondary stage surgery. Of the patients, 47 cases received an autologous skin graft for wound closure, six cases underwent wound repair with a local flap and three cases underwent wound repair with an axial flap. There were two cases of amputation and three cases of mortality. The cases of two of the patients are described in detail. XADM was demonstrated to reduce the risk of emergency during surgery and improve the success rate of wound healing and patient treatment.