Role of serum amyloid P in skin graft survival and wound healing in burned patients receiving skin grafts

Background: Recent studies in animal models suggest that serum amyloid P (SAP) can affect burn wound healing. However, the role of SAP in a clinical setting remains unknown. Methods: We enrolled 88 patients with third degree burn wounds. All the patients were candidates for auto-skin graft procedure using stamp skin graft. The complete graft healing time and the number of survived grafts were recorded. Serum SAP levels were assessed 1 day before operation. Results: There was no significant difference in SAP level between controls and patients. There were no significant differences noted among the patients with different burn surface area. However, when the patients in each group were stratified by SAP levels, the mean complete healing time of grafted wound and the mean numbers of survived skin grafts were significantly different. Spearman's analyses showed that the serum SAP levels negatively correlated with the complete wound healing time and mean numbers of survived skin grafts. Logistic regression analysis showed that the serum SAP levels and mean numbers of survived skin grafts were potent independent factors contributing to wound healing. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the serum SAP levels may be an easy detected predictor for the healing of burn wounds. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.