Dermatome

Definition

“Dermatome (instrument)”: A surgical instrument used to cut thin slices of skin for the purpose of grafting of wounds and skin defects.

This entity is differentiated from “dermatome (anatomy)” (A specific area of skin innervated by sensory fibers from a single spinal nerve) and “dermatome (embryology)” (The part of the mesodermal somite from which the skin develops).

A surgical dermatome resembles an electric razor with an oscillating blade that moves back and forth to evenly remove surface layers of the skin at a defined depth of several micrometers. Dermatomes can be operated either manually or electrically [1]. Free-hand dermatomes are manual knifes that are used to harvest skin grafts of varying thickness. Their disadvantage is the potential for irregular depth, depending on operator skills and experience. Current standard dermatomes are operated by air pressure (Fig. 1), and they achieve higher speed and precision related to homogenous thickness, compared to manually...