US3054404A

US3054404A - Skin graft applicator

Info

Publication number: US3054404A
Application number: US131434A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cicero P Meek
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-08-14
Filing date: 1961-08-14
Publication date: 1962-09-18
Anticipated expiration: 1979-09-18

Description

Sept. 18, 1962 c. P. MEEK 3,054,404

SKIN GRAF'T APPLICATOR Filed Aug. 14, 1961 IN VEN TOR.

H TTOE/VE Y5 ijfiiifiei rates Fatenr 3,954,4d4 Patented Sept. 18, 1962 fine 3,054,494 SKIN GRAFI APPLICATUR Cicero P. Meek, 105 Jackson Drive, Aiken, S.C. Filed Aug. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 131,434 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-260) This invention relates to a skin graft applicator, a method of making the same, and a method of applying a skin graft to a patient.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and means for applying skin graft material to a predetermined area on a patient whereby the material is properly and efliciently distributed over the desired area in sufficient quantity to effect growth of new skin on the patient and employing only a minimum quantity of live skin from a donor.

According to applicants method a small quantity of live skin from a donor is cut into small squares or pieces of other shape and is mixed with an appropriate carrier material to form a spreadable mixture. It is desirable that this spreadable mixture be applied to the patients body in spaced, relatively small, quantities which start to grow and spread to cover the entire area. Applicant employs an applicator means comprising a sheet of fiex ible material, preferably cloth, folded and pleated in such a manner that small discrete and normally spaced areas on one face of the sheet are placed in contiguous relation. The skin graft material is then spread, in a thin layer, over the folded portion of the sheet to cover all of the discrete areas. The sheet is then stretched to its unfolded condition, which separates the skin graft material into relatively small but regularly spaced portions distributed uniformly over a face of the unfolded sheet. The applicator is then applied to the patients body with the spaced portions of skin graft material innermost and the material is thus transferred to the area where the skin graft is desired. The sheet material may be left in position and serve as a temporary bandage until the material has started to grow and adheres to the patients tissues, after which it may be removed and the area treated or rebandaged as desired.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a skin graft applicator and method of high efficiency and simplicity and which effects a proper and uniform distribution of skin graft material over the desired area.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel applicator for achieving the objectives of the invention.

Still another object is to provide a novel method of making a skin graft applicator embodying the present invention.

A further object is to provide a novel method of grafting skin over a predetermined area on a patients body.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an applicator embodying the present invention, and ready for use;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the applicator of FIG. 1 in the early stages of folding the same to the desired condition, and;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged, sectional view through the applicator as seen on any one of the lines 3-3 of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The drawings herein illustrate a preferred form of the invention although, as will be pointed out, the applicator may be formed in other ways.

Referring first to FIG. 2, a sheet of suitable flexible material 2 is folded to form two sets of parallel pleats, each set extending transversely of the other set. The

material is preferably cloth which may be easily and effectively sterilized although the invention is not limited thereto and other suitable flexible sheet materials may be found and employed.

In forming the applicator the sheet 2 is first folded in an obvious manner to form a first pleat 4 extending thereacross and pressed snugly against the upper face of the sheet 2. A second pleat 6 is then folded in the material 2 in a direction transverse to the first pleat 4 and which includes the folds of the first pleat. As shown, the pleat 6 extends at right angles to the pleat 4. This relationship is preferred although obviously the angular relationship need not be exactly as shown.

After the second pleat 6 is folded across the material, a third pleat 8 is formed adjacent the first pleat 4 and parallel thereto, which pleat extends across the second pleat 6 and includes the layers thereof within its folds. As shown, the second pleat 8 and subsequent pleats are folded to lie on the same face of the sheet material 2 and to extend in the same direction thereover. This relationship, however, is not essential since the pleat 8 (FIG. 3) could with equal facility be folded in the opposite direction to extend toward the pleat 4, if de-- sired, so long as it does not entirely cover the first pleat.

After the pleat 8 is formed, a fourth pleat 10 is folded paraliel and adjacent to the pleat 6 and extending across both

pleats

4 and 8. Thereafter additional pleats are folded in the same manner, alternating in parallelism to first pleat 4 and second pleat 6, until the structure of FIG. 1 is produced. Obviously, the number of pleats and size of the sheet material 2 may be any value desired to give a cross-pleated area of the desired size.

As is obvious from FIGS. 1 and 3, the cross-pleated area of the sheet 2 exposes only discrete and contiguous area portions 12 of the upper surface of original sheet 2. The pleats having been formed at right angles and alternately and in a sense interlock with each other which prevents inadvertent or accidental unfolding, whereby the structure remains in the form shown in FIG. 1 until forcibly stretched to extended position. It is preferred that the pleats be permanently creased, as by pressing with a hot iron.

By reference to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the small discrete surface portions 12 are uniformly and evenly distributed over the surface of sheet 2 when the latter is stretched to its unfolded condition. The surface portions 12 are spaced apart when the sheet is stretched but are contiguous when cross-pleated, as in FIG. 1.

In use, a previously prepared skin graft material, comprising small particles of donor skin and a suitable carrier is spread over the cross-pleated area of the applicator of FIG. 1 to completely cover the same and thereby cover each of the areas 12. Thereafter, the appliactor is stretched to the unfolded condition of FIG. 2 whereupon the layer of skin graft material is separated into small rectangular portions, each covering one of the areas 12, which effects a uniform distribution of the material over the applicator sheet and enables a skin graft to be made over a much larger area than encompassed by the cross-pleated portion of FIG. 1.

Finally, the applicator is applied to the patients body in the manner previously set forth to place the skin graft material in proper position against the patients tissues to adhere thereto and to grow and form new skin.

The alternate cross-pleating described with reference to FIG. 1 is, as stated, the preferred method of forming the applicator. However, all pleats of one set may be initially formed in the set and thereafter the sheet may be folded to form all of the pleats of the second set extending transversely thereto. Such an applicator may be used in the same manner and with the same results employed without departing from the scope of applicants' invention.

While a limited number of specific embodiments of the invention are described herein, the same are merely illustrative and other forms may be resorted to Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A skin graft applicator comprising; a sheet of flex- I ible material folded and creased to define two sets of parallel pleats; said sets of pleats extending transversely to each other whereby to expose only spaced discrete portions of a face of said flexible material, said portions being in contiguous relation when said sheet is pleated as described; the layers of material comprising said pleats being free of securement to each other whereby said pleated sheet may be pulled to unpleated flat condition wherein said discrete portions are spaced apart in noncontiguous relation.

2. 'A skin graft applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein the pleats of at least one set include Within their folds the overlying layers of material defining pleats of the other set, whereby the pleats of said sets are temporarily interlocked to prevent inadvertent unfolding thereof.

' 3. The method of forming a skin graft applicator, comprising the steps of: folding a sheet of flexible material to form a first pleat thereacross; folding a second pleat across said material, transverse to said first pleat,

extending thereacross and including the layers of said first pleat in its folds; folding a third pleat across said material, adjacent and parallel to said first pleat and extending across said second pleat; folding a fourth pleat across said material adjacent and parallel to said second pleat and extending across said first'and third'pleats; and folding additional pleats in said material, alternately parallel to said first and second pleats, respectively until a desired area of pleated material is formed.

4. The method of applying a skin graft, comprising the steps of: folding a sheet of material to position normally spaced discrete surface portions of one face thereof in contiguous relation; spreading a layer of skin graft material, comprising small particles of donor skin, on said contiguous surface portions; unfolding said sheet of material to separate said surface portions whereby the skin graft material thereon is separated into spaced portions on one face of said unfolded sheet; and applying said one face against a donees body to thereby transfer said spaced portions of skin graft material to said donee.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Reese Jan. 22, 1952 Glickman Aug. 30, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES