MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

ABSTRACT: This medical school seminar paper aims to discuss the distinguishing features and the procedures of the three different types of commonly used burn treatment skin grafts: autografts, allografts, and xenografts. Autografts use the original burn victim’s intact skin. Allografts excise skin from a same-species donor to use on a burn victim. Xenografts use excised skin from a different species for burn treatments. As this seminar paper has an audience of first-year medical students, educating these medical students on the differences between the grafts, as well as discussing during which conditions each graft would be appropriate to use in an effort to treat a burn, is extremely important. Literature reviews and case studies will be analyzed and dissected to allow medical students the opportunity to obtain a broad and comprehensive understanding of each graft and its effectiveness in treating the various degrees of burns. The benefits and the limitations of each skin graft will also be weighed in this seminar paper to understand how the use of each graft will impact a burn patient during the treatment process. Following the comprehensive analysis of each skin graft currently in practice, this paper will delve into a discussion of upcoming, revolutionary burn treatments. Such treatments include ReCell and the use of autologous fat in place of skin, along with other evolving therapies. A brief background of these emerging treatments, as well as a timeline of their development, will be included within the seminar paper.

WC: 241


READER’S PROFILE: My medical school seminar professor who not only wants us to discuss the current treatments in practice, but also wants us to have well-developed understandings of emerging treatments to allow us to obtain a well-rounded and holistic understanding of burn treatment options.

READER’S RESPONSE: Of course it is important to learn the fundamentals of medicine, which includes the basic skill of how to properly and accurately treat a burn. However, these first-years are the face of medicine’s future. I hope they do realize that while skin grafts are the norm in burn treatment, there may be new advancements that become the norm in just 5 or 10 years. With the introduction of ReCell and adipose-tissue (fat) grafts in this seminar paper, a start is clearly forming in their minds. But there are so many other ground-breaking treatments making their way into the clinic that I hope these young, developing physicians realize that medicine is always changing, and that while learning the basics is fundamental to medicine, even the basics can change.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

REVISED THESIS OR PROBLEM STATEMENT: Burn treatment requires fast-paced, comprehensive decision making to determine the proper burn treatment approach. As a result, an examination of burn treatments will be conducted through the analysis of the three distinct and commonly used skin grafts: autografts, allografts, and xenografts.

VOICE: I will use second person to introduce my topic using an anecdote. I will then use third person throughout the remainder of the document to discuss the clinical topic of burn treatment options.

CITATION: I will use APA citations throughout the entirety of the medical school seminar paper, and I will include a bibliography at the end of the document.

J, looks like a good plan. I think the title needs to be more sober and science-y:

Burn Triage: approaches to current treatments, with description of fast emerging options

Something like that.....