Temporary wound covering

Allograft, Cadaver Skin or Homograft is human cadaver skin donated for medical use. The clinical use of allograft skin in the modern era was popularized by James Barrett Brown, who described its use in 1942. Cadaver skin is used as a temporary covering for excised (cleaned) wound surfaces before autograft (permanent) placement. Unmeshed cadaver skin is put over the excised wound and stapled in place. Post-operatively, the cadaver skin may be covered with a dressing. Wound coverage using cadaveric allograft is removed prior to permanent autografting.

Xenograft or Heterograft is skin taken from a variety of animals, usually a pig. Heterograft skin became popular because of the limited availability and high expense of human skin tissue. In some cases religious, financial or cultural objections to the use of human cadaver skin may also be factors. Wound coverage using xenograft or heterograft is a temporary covering used until autograft. Porcine is commonly used as temporary skin coverage for Exfoliative Skin Diseases.

Surgeons use a dermatome (left) to remove donor skin and a mesher (right) to put holes in it.