The time-honored surgical principles of removal of necrotic tissue and early wound coverage remain important facets in the management of burned patients. Removal of the necrotic tissue can be accomplished by excision therapy, but adequate wound coverage, especially in large body-surface burns, presents a difficult problem. In the majority of these patients, donor skin is limited. Homograft skin, which usually produces a good temporary wound cover, is not always readily available. Many skin substitutes (e.g., synthetic substances and heterografts) have been tried and proved unsatisfactory. Chardack, after laboratory and clinical evaluation, advocated the use of Ivalon surgical sponge (polyvinyl alcohol) as a temporary skin substitute or wound cover.1,2 He has recently shown in humans that Ivalon adheres to granulating wound surfaces, producing an adequate temporary wound covering. After reviewing Chardack's work and after personal communication with him, evaluation of Ivalon as an adjunct to excision therapy was undertaken. This