Kinetic Concepts, Inc (San Antonio, TX) recently released its CelluTome Epidermal Harvesting System for gathering healthy skin grafts from a patient for transplant to wound/burn sites. The device consists of a harvester that is secured around the thigh and contains “suction microdomes” at the gathering site. A vacuum head unit is placed around it that provides heat and vacuum to activate said microdomes, which slowly and gently lift the skin without affecting the vasculature beneath. 3M’s Tegaderm film is then applied to the microdomes sticking through the harvester’s pores and a lever cuts them all away from the skin in one swipe leaving a layer of skin on the surface of the film.

The entire process takes less than an hour and the company promises a considerably more comfortable experience for the patients compared to current epidermal graft harvesting methods. The system is already being used in select clinics in the U.S.

Here’s a video from Kinetic Concepts with more detail about the CelluTome:

Product page: CelluTome system…