Fluid-assisted skin graft harvesting
AssigneeKCI Licensing, Inc.
InventorsBenjamin A. PRATT, Christopher Brian LOCKE, Timothy Mark ROBINSON
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods, devices and systems are disclosed for generating and harvesting skin grafts having improved properties and for ensuring efficient and consistent blister formation and/or reducing patient harm and discomfort. In one aspect, the invention infuses a fluid into skin tissue at the donor site to enhance blister formation. The fluid infusion can occur before or after application of negative pressure—or can be cyclically applied before or after repeated applications of negative pressure.
Claims20
A method for harvesting a skin graft, the method comprising:
- applying a blister cutting device to a target region of a subject's skin;
- infusing a hypotonic fluid into the target region of the subject's skin;
- generating a negative pressure within the blister cutting device to raise at least one skin blister on the target region of the subject's skin;
- and
- cleaving the at least one blister using the blister cutting device.
A method for harvesting a skin graft, the method comprising:
- applying a device having a body and a sealing member to a target region of a subject's skin, the body and the sealing member being configured to form a sealed chamber over the target region of the subject's skin and the device further comprising at least one fixed plate and at least one movable cutter plate, each plate having a plurality of holes through which skin blisters can be raised when the plurality of holes in the at least one fixed plate and the plurality of holes in the at least one movable cutter plate are aligned;
- infusing a hypotonic fluid into the sealed chamber and delivering the hypotonic fluid for assimilation into portions of the subject's skin exposed to the sealed chamber via openings of the plurality of holes in the at least one fixed plate and at least one movable cutter plate;
- removing unassimilated fluid from the sealed chamber;
- generating a negative pressure within the sealed chamber to raise at least one skin blister through the openings of the plurality of holes;
- and
- actuating the at least one movable cutter plate to cleave the at least one skin blister.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.