The Effect of Epinephrine in Local Anesthesia on the Survival of Full- and Split-Thickness Skin Grafts

Abstract

The effect of local anesthesia containing epinephrine on the survival of split- and full-thickness skin grafts remains unclear. In this blinded study, Xylocaine with or without epinephrine was injected subdermally prior to harvesting of split-thickness and full-thickness skin grafts on the dorsum of rabbits. After procurement, the grafts were placed back into their original donor sites. Statistical analysis of graft survival 7 days postoperatively revealed a significant decrease in survival for the full-thickness skin grafts treated with Xylocaine with epinephrine as compared with similar grafts without epinephrine (p less than 0.0005). No significant difference was noted for split-thickness skin-graft survival in grafts treated with Xylocaine with and without epinephrine (p greater than 0.1).