UC Health is elevating care to critically injured burn patients by being the first in the region to provide a next-generation skin regenerative treatment.
The treatment involves using a small sample of a burn patient’s own skin to build new skin cells in a specialized kit. One small square of skin can expand to as much as 80 times its original size and is used for patients who have large burn wounds.
While most burn treatments require multiple autografting surgeries, depending on the wound size, this treatment requires only a small amount of donor skin and covers a large area in just a single surgery. This new skin regenerative treatment decreases hospital stays and costs, reduces donor sites and leads to both less scarring and less infection for patients.
“At UC Health, we advance healing and reduce suffering each day for our patients, and this new leading-edge burn treatment is just another example that demonstrates how we’re committed to providing hope to the community,” said Elizabeth Dale, MD, UC Health reconstructive surgeon, director of the UC Health Burn Center and assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “This innovative skin cell repair procedure can be prepared and applied in the operating room in less than an hour. We are proud to be able to provide such a high level of care to critically injured patients suffering from severe burn wounds.”
The UC Health Burn Center at UC Medical Center is the region’s only burn center, in addition to the region’s only Level I adult trauma center and provides specialized care for those affected by burn injury to improve a patient’s chance of survival and healing, all while resuming optimal function.
The burn and plastic and reconstructive surgeons at the UC Health Burn Center have the expertise to help patients heal with better outcomes, making it the primary center for burn care in the tri-state region with a team comprised of specially trained healthcare professionals qualified in burn management, wound care and critical care.
Dale leads the UC Health Burn Center along with Julia Slater, MD, UC Health plastic and reconstructive surgeon and assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the UC College of Medicine, and Chad McGarvie, RN, burn program manager.