A multicenter experience in the treatment of burns with autologous and allogeneic cultured epithelium fresh or preserved in a frozen state

This report describes the clinical results obtained from a multicentre experience of the use of autologous and allogenic cultured human epidermal cells in the treatment of partial and full skin thickness burns. A laboratory has been organized to supply cultured epithelium to Burns Units in different cities. From May 1986 to December 1988, 58 patients with an age range of 1 to 59 years, and with burns covering between 7 and 95 per cent of the body surface area, have been treated. Graftable cultured epithelium can be frozen and remain viable if stored in a skin bank. Such grafts were used successfully to treat patients with partial and full skin thickness wounds.