Application of cryopreserved autologous skin replantation in the treatment of degloving injury of limbs

Degloving injury is a common and intractable injury with the bone and tendon exposed and contamination, the stripped skin cannot be replanted immediately and will be discarded, although auto-graft is needed for subsequent wound repair. In this study, autologous skin cryopreservation technique was applied to the treatment of severe limb degloving injuries. The clinical data of 9 patients from January 2016 to December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Among the 9 cases, 1 case developed necrosis due to wound infection, and the rest survived 60–100%. The replanted cryopreserved skin were soft and resilient, with poor sensory recovery, varying degrees of discoloration and no hair growth. Cryopreservation provides more time for improving the wound and whole-body condition. The frozen skin had good quality and high survival rate. Our study can effectively use the degloving skin, reduce the damage of the donor area.