A dermatome is a surgical instrument used to produce thin slices of skin

Skin

-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...

 from a donor area, in order to use them for making skin grafts. One of its main applications is for reconstituting skin areas damaged by grade 3 burns

Burn (injury)

A burn is a type of injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation or friction. Most burns affect only the skin . Rarely, deeper tissues, such as muscle, bone, and blood vessels can also be injured...

 or trauma

Physical trauma

Trauma refers to "a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident." It can also be described as "a physical wound or injury, such as a fracture or blow." Major trauma can result in secondary complications such as circulatory shock, respiratory failure and death...

.

Dermatomes can be operated either manually or electrically. The first drum dermatomes, developed in the 1930s, were manually operated. Afterwards, dermatomes which were operated by air pressure, such as the Brown dermatome, achieved higher speed and precision. Electrical dermatomes are better for cutting out thinner and longer strips of skin with a more homogeneous thickness.

Free-hand knives

Those are manual dermatomes and the term knife or scalpel is used to describe them. Their disadvantages are harvesting of grafts with irregular edges and grafts of variable thickness. Their operator has to be experienced in their use for optimal results.

Types of dermatomes

There are several types of dermatomes, usually named after their inventor.

Knives

• Blair/Brown knife.
• Braithwaite knife.
• Cobbett knife, a modified version of the Braithwaite knife.
• Goulian/Weck knife.
• Humby knife, similar to the Blair knife with the addition of an adjustable roller which controls the thickness of the graft taken.
• Silver's miniature knife, ideal for the harvesting of small grafts.
• Watson knife, another modified version of the Braithwaite knife.

Drum

• Padgett dermatome, was the first rotary drum manual dermatome to be devised.
• Reese dermatome.

Electric

• Brown dermatome, the first with powered rotation to be developed, used mostly for large skin grafts. It is electrically operated.
• Castroviejo dermatome, also electrically operated, is a precision dermatome with a small head and controllable thickness, which is most used for mucous membrane
  Mucous membrane
  The mucous membranes are linings of mostly endodermal origin, covered in epithelium, which are involved in absorption and secretion. They line cavities that are exposed to the external environment and internal organs...
  
  grafts.

Air

• Air dermatome, the most commonly used dermatome used worldwide today, used mostly for large skin grafts.