When someone suffers burn injuries, which are common in the oil and gas industry, it can significantly damage multiple layers of the skin. This often leads to scarring, mobility issues and significant pain and suffering, even as a person recovers.
As part of this recovery process, doctors may recommend using skin grafts. This essentially means taking sections of skin from a healthy area of the body and grafting it onto the damaged areas. This can be done with a full-thickness skin graft, a split-thickness skin graft or even a composite skin graft, which may include tissues like cartilage. It all depends on the extent of the damage, the location and the procedure that your medical care providers believe is best in your unique case.
Infection is a significant risk
There are certainly risks that come along with skin grafts. In some cases, the skin does not take in the new location. There can also be issues with mobility or even circulation and blood flow.
But perhaps the greatest risk that a person faces is that of infection. This is why it is so important to work carefully with your medical team, addressing proper wound care and aftercare. If the skin graft becomes infected, it can make the injury far more serious than it was already. In some cases, infections could even be life-threatening.
Your legal options
Have you suffered serious burn injuries that are going to require extensive treatment? You need to know your legal options to seek financial compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, disability or disfigurement, and much more.