TissueDB/Materials/Animal Skin
License: CC0-1.0 by Fumikas Sagisavas
Animal skin is ex vivo full-thickness skin from an animal specimen — most often porcine (pig) skin from a butcher — used in surgical simulation to give realistic skin texture, colour, suture hold and tissue-handling feel for basic surgical skills such as suturing, incision and wound closure. Because it is real integument, fresh or frozen animal skin reproduces the epidermis, dermis and adherent subcutaneous layer and their plane-by-plane separation more faithfully than a synthetic skin pad; its trade-offs are that it is perishable, single-use, and its thickness and texture vary with the source animal and cut. It is bought fresh or frozen and used as a skin-and-subcutaneous substrate laid over a trainer or on its own for suturing practice.
Tissues
| Tissue | Visual | Tactile | Simulator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin | Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Muller), Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Kei) | Porcine skin laid over the laryngeal structures as the scalpel incision surface; a fresh section per trainee, at about US$1.00 a section. Section of porcine skin placed externally over the laryngeal structures of the Strategic Operations 3-in-1 TCCC manikin; provides the scalpel incision surface for the vertical skin incision of the scalpel–finger–bougie technique (Muller et al. 2020, p. e1781). Exact cut (belly, shoulder, or other) not disambiguated in source.[1] | ||
| Subcutaneous Tissue | Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Kei) | A full-thickness specimen carries the subcutaneous layer beneath the skin surface. | ||
| Fascia | Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Kei) | Kei describes porcine skin with underlying muscle and fascia. |
Used In Simulators
| Simulator | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Muller Cricothyrotomy Simulator | External skin overlay on Strategic Operations 3-in-1 TCCC manikin, placed over the laryngeal structures as the scalpel incision surface for the scalpel–finger–bougie technique. US$1.00 per session per Muller 2020 p. e1781. |
References
[edit source]- ↑ Muller KL, Facciolla CA, Monti J, Cronin A. "Impact of Succinct Training on Open Cricothyrotomy Performance: A Randomized, Prospective, Observational Study of U.S. Army First Responders." Military Medicine. 2020;185(9–10):e1779–e1786. DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usaa035. PMID 32567654.
Overview
[edit source]Animal skin is sourced fresh or frozen from a butcher as full-thickness skin, usually porcine. Being real integument it needs no preparation beyond trimming and, optionally, glycerol preservation, and it gives a cutting, suturing and handling feel a synthetic skin pad cannot; the trade-off is that thickness and texture vary with the source animal and cut, and it is perishable. It is single-use — refrigerate or freeze until the session and discard via biological-waste protocol afterwards.
Synonyms
[edit source]Common names: Pig skin, pork skin, porcine skin, pork rind, pigskin, animal integument. The specific animal is recorded in the notes, not the class title. Forms: fresh animal skin, frozen animal skin. Variants: porcine (pig) skin is the usual form; goat or lamb skin is used as an alternative animal-skin source. Regional (pork): piel de cerdo (ES), couenne de porc (FR), Schweinehaut (DE), cotenna di maiale (IT), varkenshuid (NL).
Clinical Context for Simulation
[edit source]Processing & Preparation
[edit source]Safety Considerations
[edit source]Related Materials
[edit source]| Authors | Arturopelayo |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Materials/Animal Skin". Appropedia. Retrieved July 28, 2026. |