Donor Site Care
Care of a Donor Site with a Xeroform™ Gauze Covering
• Leave the donor site open to air to dry.
• Starting on ____________, wash the donor site gently each day with mild
soap and water. Rinse the site and pat dry.
• Starting on _______________, apply moisturizing lotion to the Xeroform™
gauze after washing the donor site.
• Trim the edges of the gauze as it lifts and loosens. Do not attempt to peel off
gauze.
• Watch for signs and symptoms of infection. Call the number listed at the end
of this handout if any of these problems occur.
o Increased redness (over 1 inch in width) and swelling around the skin graft.
o Foul smelling drainage or pus from the skin graft.
o Flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, nausea or vomiting, muscle aches)
o Increased pain
Care of a Donor Site with a Mepilex® Dressing
Mepilex® is an absorbent foam dressing with a silicone layer that adheres to intact skin and does not stick to open wounds.
• Leave the donor site dressing in place until you return to clinic. Keep it clean
and dry.
• You should call the number listed at the end of this handout and return to
clinic to have your dressing checked if any of these problems occur. Your
dressing might need to be changed.
o Outer dressing becomes saturated with too much drainage from the donor
site.
o Outer dressing gets wet.
o Dressing becomes dislodged, exposing the open donor site.
o Watch for signs and symptoms of infection.
• Increased redness (over 1 inch in width) and swelling around the skin
graft.
• Foul smelling drainage or pus from the skin graft.
• Flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, nausea or vomiting, muscle aches)
• Increased pain
Care of a Donor Site after the Dressing Has Been Removed
• Put on moisturizing lotion to keep a newly healed donor site from drying out
and cracking.
• Treat blisters or open areas with ___________________.
• Watch for signs and symptoms of infection (see above). Call the number
listed at the end of this handout if you notice any of these problems.
Care of Primary Closure Donor Site
• Keep the site covered until ____________________ with the first dressing.
• Once the dressing is removed, leave the incision site open to the air
• If Steri-strips are used (thin white tapes across your incision), do not remove
them until they loosen and fall off on their own. This takes about one week.
• You may shower starting on __________________________. No tub baths.
• Watch for signs and symptoms of infection. Call the number listed at the end
of this handout if any of these problems occur.
o Increased redness (over 1 inch in width) and swelling around the skin graft.
o Foul smelling drainage or pus from the skin graft.
o Flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, nausea or vomiting, muscle aches)
o Increased pain
Phone Numbers
For question Monday through Friday 8 AM -5 PM please call the General Surgery and Burn Clinic at 608-263-7502.
If you have urgent questions or needs after hours or on weekends, call the Burn Unit Nurses at 608-263-1490 or call 608-262-2122 and ask to have the Burn resident paged.
If you have non urgent questions or needs after hours or on weekends, please leave a message for the General Surgery triage nurse at 608-890-9542.
If you live out of the area, you can call toll free at 1-800-323-8942.
Spanish version HFFY #5829.
The information provided should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Last Updated: 05/28/2013
Copyright © 05/28/2013 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#5825
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