Multi-piece dermatome with adjustable blade assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dermatomes for harvesting skin grafts lack improvements in design and functionality, necessitating enhanced medical device structures and assemblies for more effective skin tissue cutting.
Innovation Solution
A dermatome design featuring a handle and head with a removable member that engages the main housing at specific locations, utilizing detents and receivers to limit movement, and a blade assembly with adjustable depth and width capabilities, facilitating balanced construction with metal and polymer materials for improved performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional dermatomes are used for skin graft harvesting, then basic cutting function is provided, but precision and versatility are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The dermatome incorporates adjustable blade depth and width capabilities, allowing the cutting parameters to be dynamically changed during different surgical procedures. The removable member can be repositioned along the main housing to adjust blade exposure depth, and the blade assembly width can be modified, providing dynamic adaptability while maintaining cutting precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables parameter changes by allowing adjustment of blade depth and width settings. The removable member can be positioned at different locations on the main housing to change the effective blade exposure depth, and different blade assemblies can be engaged to change cutting width, thus adapting to various surgical requirements while maintaining precision.
2Ease of manufacture
If dermatome design is simplified, then manufacturing is easier, but functionality and performance are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The dermatome is divided into separate modular components including a main housing, removable member, and blade assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently using appropriate processes, then assembled together. The modular design provides manufacturing simplicity while enabling versatile functionality through component combination and reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The main housing is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate different blade assemblies and removable member configurations. This universal design allows a single base unit to perform multiple cutting functions with different depths and widths, achieving device versatility without requiring completely separate devices for each function, thus balancing manufacturing simplicity with functional capability.
3Reliability
If dermatome structure is made robust, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the dermatome into distinct modular components (main housing, removable member, blade assembly), each part can be designed for optimal structural integrity in its specific function. The robustness is achieved through proper design of each segment rather than making the entire device uniformly complex, maintaining reliability while managing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functional elements into integrated assemblies. The removable member integrates engagement features with the main housing, and the blade assembly combines cutting elements with mounting mechanisms. This merging reduces the number of separate components and interfaces, thereby reducing structural complexity while maintaining or improving reliability through better integration.
Data Source
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AI summary
A dermatome having a head, a neck, and a handle. The head of the dermatome may include a main housing at least partially defining a cavity and a removable member that may be configured to removably engage the main housing. The main housing may include one or more features configured to guide the removable member into alignment with the main housing and/or one or more features configured to engage the removable member. The removable member of the dermatome may be made from a different material than the main housing. The neck may include a first portion and a second portion, where the first portion is made from a different material than the second portion. The dermatome may be configured to connect to one or more of a fluid power source, a battery power source, and a wall power source.