Marginal or free skin graft necrosis would always occur after breast cancer postoperative skingrafting. 

In the past, traditional redressing was always applied. Cut the necrotic skin flap when the edges became obvious and suture along the edges or carry out stamp-like regrafting. 

This would cause great pain in the patients and the hospitalization time was always quite long. 

From March to December 1997, MEBO was applied in 22 cases in breast cancer postoperative stage Ⅰskingrafting. 

The therapeutic effects were remarkable and the skingrafting survival rate was satisfactory compared with 21 cases who received traditional treatment.

Treatment Methods:

Treatment group: Skin grafts used in this group were the free grafts with full thickness from their own abdomens or breasts. Mesh grafting was carried out. Irrigate the incision with 0.9% normal saline after breast cancer operation. Put the autologous graft on the wounded surface, perform running suture along the edge, and then bind it up with tension. Four days after the operation, open up the incision, apply MEBO evenly in grafting area, with the thickness 1~2mm. Redress once a day.

Control group: All the procedures were the same with that used in treatment group. Scrub the incision with alcohol cotton ball and cover the wounds with gauze.

Discussion:
1. Breast cancer postoperative skingrafting necrosis was a kind of metabolic necrosis mainly caused by disturbance of blood circulation and oxygen deficit. 

MEBO contained botanical compositions, which could stimulate blood circulation , remove stasis, reduce edema, reduce blood density in local vessels, strengthen local blood flow and speed it up. As a result, MEBO could maintain and protect the integrity of survival blood vessel structure.

Local hemoagglutination was effectively prevented and alleviated because of the smooth drainage, the release of anti-inflammation substances and the condensation of antiplatelet. 

At the same time, microcirculation disturbance was cleared out and the tissue cells in the wounded area could get enough oxygen and nutrition supply. Hence the possibility of secondary damage was reduced to the minimal level. 

Preventing necrosis progrediens could protect the wounds fundamentally and promote its regeneration and repair. Meanwhile, it could also promote the transfer of dying cells to energetic normal cells, thus facilitated tissue repair.

2. The auto-drainage function and the double-layer structure of MEBO could isolate bacteria invasion, against bacterial parasitism and propagation. 

The lipotropism of MEBO could protect wounded tissues from the stimulation and corrosion of bacteria, liquefied products and metabolites. It could promote the early liquefaction of necrotic tissues, which worked together with its anti-infection effect, thus removed the food of bacteria. 

In addition, MEBO could promote cytometaplasia to lower down bacterial toxicity and deprive their ability to phagocytose the tissues. 

Therefore, the infection opportunities and procedures in the wounds were reduced. 

In treatment group, the fact that no patient got wounds infection strongly indicated that MEBO had certain anti-infection effect (Antibiotics were applied routinely for 3 days after operation, while they were not applied during MEBO treatment). At the same time, MEBO relieved our worries that non-sterile drugs might cause infection when applied in sterile incisions.

3. The average skin flap healing time in treatment group was significantly lower than in control group, which indicated that MEBO could effectively promote wounds healing. However, since the case files were limited, more cases need to be accumulated and further observations need to be carried out in order to assure MEBO’s effect.

Full report, MEBO of Skingrafting of Breast Cancer Postoperation. The Chinese Journal of Burns Wounds and Surface Ulcers 1999, (1): 36-37