AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON REFRIGERATED SKIN GRAFTS STORED IN TEN PER CENT HOMOLOGOUS SERUM

The author has sought to find a suitable media for the preservation of skin applicable to the formation of a skin bank. The method chosen for study was described by Hanks and Wallace using 10 per cent serum and balanced salt solution. This method was tested for tissue viability by tissue culture methods and compared with freezing and piloform as storage media. The maximum storage time of these grafts is from four to six weeks. Sixty full thickness grafts were studied in the form of autografts, isografts, frozen isografts, isografts stored in piloform and isografts stored in 10 per ecnt serum. The isografts stored in 10 per cent serum scem more capable of regenerating epithelium as compared with other isografts studied. From these experiments it is believed that 10 per cent serum is superior to other media studied because it buffers and dilutes the acids which result from tissue metabolism. The potentialities of 10 per cent serum as a storage media for skin banks are good.