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Velocigraft: Low-Cost Template for Skin Meshing in Resource-Limited Settings
- Program: Biomedical Engineering
- Course: EN.580.X12 BME Design Team
- Year: 2025
Project Description:
Over 90% of burn fatalities occur in resource-challenged or austere environments (RAEs). Comprising low- and middle-income countries, military and conflict zones, mass casualty incidents, and rural areas, these environments are characterized by a lack of access to the technologies needed to perform autologous skin grafting, the gold standard for treating deep, extensive burns. One of the most important technologies is the machine mesher, which creates small incisions in the harvested skin graft, enabling expansion and coverage of a larger wound area. These devices can cost up to $15,000 per unit with some models requiring additional consumable components, rendering them inaccessible in RAEs. To address this gap, we have developed a low-cost incision template that enables rapid, standardized, and accurate skin meshing. Our device’s small form factor, improved speed, and ability to achieve higher expansion ratios holds significant potential to enhance burn care outcomes across a wide range of environments.
Project Photo:
This photo shows our low-cost incision template for rapid, accurate skin meshing. It consists of two interlocking plates arranged one on top of the other, between which a skin graft is compressed. A surgeon can then run a scalpel down the parallel channels, creating evenly-spaced, staggered incisions in the graft.