The standard treatment for extensive burn wounds is transplantation with meshed split skin graft. Disadvantages of this treatment are that healing of large full thickness burn wounds is still accompanied by scar formation. Even standard treatment, transplantation with a (meshed) split skin autograft, does not result in satisfactory functional and cosmetic appearance of the healed wound. Due to limited available donor sites meshes needs to be enlarged. Bigger enlargements of meshes give more scarring and mesh pattern are still visible in scars, probably because wound closure still needs several weeks. Application of cultured autologous keratinocytes may enhance wound closure and improve outcome of healing.~Primary objective: Does the application of cultured autologous keratinocytes on deep burn wounds accelerate wound closure Secondary objectives: Does the application of cultured autologous keratinocytes on deep burn wounds improve scar quality with respect to scar elasticity, colour/pigmentation and/or smoothness after 3 and 12 months.
In this study the treatment of full thickness burn wounds with cultured autologous keratinocytes in combination with meshed split skin autograft versus meshed split skin graft alone will be compared. It is expected that the application of cultured autologous keratinocytes in combination with a meshed split skin autograft will improve wound healing and scar formation.