An automobile accident can inflict serious injuries, perhaps even ravaging or destroying some of your skin. Doctors may recommend that they take some healthy skin from one area of your body and graft it onto your injured area. Skin grafting could help heal a wound and even restore your appearance, but it might be expensive.
The Cleveland Clinic describes different aspects of skin graft surgery that, depending on your situation, could add up to large medical bills.
Costs of surgery
Naturally, skin graft expenses will include the procedure to graft skin onto your wounded area. Typically, skin graft surgery takes place in a hospital. Your surgeon will remove healthy skin from your donor area and transplant it onto the injured part of your body. Doctors may also give you general anesthesia to put you to sleep for the operation.
Costs of a hospital stay
Depending on your situation, you may have to remain in the hospital to recover. The more complicated your graft surgery, the more time you need. Some graft patients require two weeks of hospital rest before going home.
Costs of medication and follow-up
Your doctor will likely instruct you on how to protect your graft and prescribe medicines to help you with pain and other aftereffects. Your graft could also require follow-up visits to your doctor and possibly even therapy.
Costs of complications
Some skin grafts do not take. Graft patients may experience pus or bleeding from the grafting site. Pain, fever and infection are also possibilities. Complications could necessitate a return to the hospital, medication, and even removal of the graft.
Knowing these expenses is important as you may factor them into compensation in your injury case. Restoring your health should not put a drain on your wallet.
