Our Experience of Tie Over bolster and Quilting Sutures Versus Stapler fixation for Split thickness skin graft in post burn neck contracture – A Comparative study

Background: Traditional method to fix Split thickness skin graft in post burn neck contracture is Tie over Bolster dressing and Quilting sutures. We used staplers to fix split thickness skin graft. Materials & methods: A comparative study conducted in 30 patients with post burn neck contracture at Dr. Vasantrao Pawar Medical College, Nashik, during January 2015 to December 2020. Time required for fixation of split thickness skin graft, outcome in terms of graft uptake and patients comfort level while removing sutures and stapler recorded. Results: Total 30 Patients were included in our study. Mean time required for Tie over and quilting suture was 10.53 ± 0.88 min, significantly higher than the mean time in stapler fixation 4.87 ± 0.81 min. (p<0.001). Graft take was 95% in stapler and 93% in Tie over and quilting suture. Conclusion: Fixation of Split thickness skin graft with stapler is more rapid, less time consuming also results in decreased surgical and anaesthesia time. More patient friendly while removing staplers with comparable skin graft uptake.