|
Upload | Sign in |
|---|
A dermatome is a surgical instrument used to produce thin slices of skin from a donor area, in order to use them for making skin grafts. One of its main applications is for reconstituting skin areas damaged by grade 3 burns or trauma.
Dermatomes can be operated either manually or electrically.
Knives
Blair/Brown knife.
Braithwaite knife.
Cobbett knife, a modified version of the Braithwaite knife.
Goulian/Weck knife.
Humby knife, similar to the Blair knife with the addition of an adjustable roller which controls the thickness of the graft taken.
Silver's miniature knife, ideal for the harvesting of small grafts.
Watson knife, another modified version of the Braithwaite knife.
Drum
Padgett dermatome, was the first rotary drum manual dermatome to be devised.
Reese dermatome.
Electric
Brown dermatome, the first with powered rotation to be developed, used mostly for large skin grafts. It is electrically operated.
Castroviejo dermatome, also electrically operated, is a precision dermatome with a small head and controllable thickness, which is most used for mucous membrane grafts.
Air
Air dermatome, the most commonly used dermatome used worldwide today, used mostly for large skin grafts.