A simple method of cutting meshed split thickness skin grafts to desired size

burns 34 (2008) 580

available at www.sciencedirect.com

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/burns

Letter to the Editor

A simple method of cutting meshed split thickness skin grafts to desired size Sir, Handling and cutting meshed split skin graft, after it has been laid onto a wound, is fiddly and time consuming. This often leads to tearing and displacement of the graft. Traumatising the excess graft can occur as it is picked and laid back onto a graft carrier prior to being used elsewhere. The graft is usually

curled up when picked up. This makes graft preparation, on a graft carrier, tricky, time consuming and frustrating. The authors would like to propose a quick, stress-free and time saving technique of seizing and cutting meshed split skin graft. We simply recommend cutting the skin graft and the graft carrier all at once to the desired size and shape. This leaves the excess graft all setup and ready to be used elsewhere (Fig. 1). The only two limitations to this technique are (1) single use of the skin graft carrier, and (2) getting approval from the scrub nurse to use a pair of scissors from the set for cutting. Tom Reisler* Syed A. Mashhadi Mohammed Jawad Burns Unit, Department of Plastic Surgery, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Fulham Road, London SW10 9NH, United Kingdom *Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 207 1885134; fax: +44 207 1885131 E-mail address: [email protected] (T. Reisler)

Fig. 1 – Meshed split skin graft on a skin graft carrier cut to size for a leg burn wound.

0305-4179/$34.00 # 2007 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.burns.2007.08.007