Split-thickness skin excision: its use for immediate wound care in crush injuries of the foot.

Split-thickness skin excision (STSE) was used as an adjunctive modality in the treatment of eight crush injuries of the foot. Compartment syndromes were present in four feet and were treated with fasciotomy. Wound debridement, internal fixation of fractures, and STSE followed. This technique accurately determined the viability of the skin flap, simultaneously providing skin for local wound coverage. All flaps treated in this manner survived and all (100%) of the degloved STSE grafts healed. Additional procedures were performed in four patients (two free flaps and two split-thickness skin grafts) adjacent to the debrided flap for complete coverage. STSE proved to be an effective modality for skin coverage in crush injuries of the foot associated with degloving of skin.