TissueDB/Simulators/Skin Graft Harvesting Simulator (Cohen)
The Cohen Skin Graft Harvesting Simulator uses a pomelo fruit (Citrus Maxima) as a low-cost, readily available model for practising manual partial-thickness skin graft harvesting.[1]
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Features and Basic Operation | The whole pomelo serves as the donor site: the trainee marks a donor area, then harvests partial-thickness grafts from the peel with a manual dermatome, mimicking operative skin-graft harvest. |
| Current Development Status | Built and tested by its developers in a single-centre study with only marginal supporting evidence; not externally validated. |
| Estimated Build Time and Cost | Not stated in source No construction step; the model is a whole pomelo |
| Specialized Tools and Equipment | Manual dermatome — a Humby's (Watson) knife, set to its widest blade–roller gap (the pomelo epicarp is often over 2 mm thick). |
| Version | Version 1 |
| Development Team Contact Information | Avi Adam Cohen (corresponding author), avi.a.c.md@gmail.com — Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Hospital), Petah Tikva, Israel. |
Tissues
| Tissue | Qty | Material | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin and subcutaneous tissue | 1 fruit | Pomelo peel (Citrus Maxima); in the absence of a pomelo the source accepts another large citrus fruit, e.g. a grapefruit or a large orange | — | Tri-layered pericarp (exocarp, mesocarp, endocarp) mimics human integument |
Build Instructions
Phase 1: Fruit Preparation
- Obtain a whole pomelo (Citrus Maxima). Other large citrus fruit — a grapefruit or large orange — may substitute if a pomelo is unavailable.
- Mark the intended donor area on the pomelo surface.
- Set the Humby (Watson) manual dermatome to the widest gap between blade and roller (the pomelo epicarp is often over 2 mm thick).
- Harvest partial-thickness grafts by drawing the dermatome across the marked area with steady, even pressure. Each trainee harvests 4 sequential strips, which are compared for harvesting consistency.
Verification checkpoint: Confirm that each harvested strip is a thin partial-thickness graft rather than a full-depth cut through the peel, and compare the area of successive strips — the study compared graft area across the four strips as its measure of harvesting consistency.
Not Suitable For
- Donor-site bleeding management — the paper notes the pomelo offers no hemorrhage and "does not accurately mimic the circumstances of the operating theatre."
- Objective graft-thickness assessment — the authors note citrus-rind grafts are difficult to evaluate for thickness consistency, an inherent limitation of a very thick-skinned model.
References
- ↑ Cohen AA, Har-Shai L, Ad-El D, Shay T. "POMELO PROJECT" - a simple and low cost simulator for harvesting skin graft by plastic surgery residents. Burns 2020;46(7):1681–1685. DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2020.04.038. PMID 32680662.
| Authors | Arturopelayo |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Simulators/Skin Graft Harvesting Simulator (Cohen)". Appropedia. Retrieved August 23, 2026. |