Method and apparatus for grafting of skin tissue

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10278724-B2
Application number	US-201615253525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2016
Priority date	Sep 24, 2008
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for affecting an appearance of skin by harvesting small portions of tissue from a donor (first) site and applying them at a recipient (second) site. A plurality of micrografts can be formed from a piece of graft tissue and attached to a dressing material. The dressing material can then be expanded to increase a separation distance between the micrografts, and the dressing material having spaced-apart micrografts attached thereto can be applied to a prepared recipient site. An apparatus can be provided that expands the dressing material using a pressurized fluid. A further method can include providing a suspension of small portions of graft tissue in a solution. The solution can be injected into blisters formed at a recipient (second) site and the tissue portions allowed to attach and proliferate. A method and apparatus can also be provided for forming corresponding blisters at a donor site and at a recipient site. The raised (removed) portions of the blisters can be removed and attached to a dressing material, and the portions from the donor (first) site can be placed onto the exposed blister areas at the recipient site.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tissue region effecting method comprising:
removing a tissue sample from a site;
separating the tissue sample into a plurality of micrografts;
providing the plurality of micrografts on a material;
expanding the material to separate adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another by an average distance;
placing the material over the tissue region; and
wherein said expanding the material to separate adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another includes (i) manually stretching the material or (ii) applying a pressurized gas to the material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein an average area of the plurality of micrografts is between 0.0025 mm 2 and 1 mm 2 .

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein an average area of the plurality of micrografts is between 0.04 mm 2 and 1 mm 2 .

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the average distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts on the material is less than 4 mm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the average distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts on the material is less than 2 mm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tissue region is skin, and which includes removing epidermal tissue from at least a portion of the skin before placing the material over the skin.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said providing of the plurality of micrografts on the material includes adhering the plurality of micrografts to the material.

8. The method of claim 1 , which includes securing the material to an apparatus; and applying a manual force to the material secured to the apparatus.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said separating the tissue sample into a plurality of micrografts includes forming indentations or cuts in the tissue sample.

10. The method of claim 1 , where said providing the plurality of micrografts on the material includes adhering a stratum corneum of the plurality of micrografts to the material.

11. A tissue region effecting method comprising:
removing a tissue sample from a site;
separating the tissue sample into a plurality of micrografts;
providing the plurality of micrografts on a material;
expanding the material to separate adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another by an average distance;
placing the material over the tissue region; and
wherein said separating the tissue sample into a plurality of micrografts includes creating a substantially continuous tissue layer; and said expanding the material to separate adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another includes tearing portions of the substantially continuous tissue layer.

12. A tissue region effecting method comprising:
removing a tissue sample from a site;
separating the tissue sample into a plurality of micrografts;
providing the plurality of micrografts on a material;
expanding the material to separate adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another by an average distance;
placing the material over the tissue region; and
wherein said expanding the material to separate adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another includes stretching the material substantially uniformly in a plurality of directions.

13. A tissue region effecting method comprising:
removing a tissue sample from a site;
separation the tissue sample into a plurality of micrografts;
providing the plurality of micrografts on a material;
expanding the material to separate adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another by an average distance;
placing the material over the tissue region; and
wherein said expanding the material to separate adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another includes (i) securing the material to a stretching apparatus and (ii) applying a positive air pressure to a surface of the material.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said applying the positive air pressure includes increasing the air pressure in a sealed environment until the air pressure reaches a predetermined pressure.

15. A material expanding system comprising:
a housing defining (i) an opening and (ii) an air pressure inlet;
a material secured over the opening of the housing so that the housing and the material define an interior volume;
a plurality of micrografts coupled to the material; and
an air pressure source coupled fluidly with the air pressure inlet of the housing, the air pressure source configured to supply air pressure to the interior volume of the housing through the air pressure inlet such that the air pressure expands the material secured over the opening and separates adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts from one another by an average distance.

16. The system of claim 15 , which includes an O-ring, the O-ring coupled to the material and the housing so as to secure the material over the opening of the housing.

17. The system of claim 15 , which includes at least one valve configured to selectively allow positive air pressure from the air pressure source to be supplied through the air pressure inlet to the interior volume.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the system is configured such that the air pressure expands the material substantially uniformly in a plurality of directions.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the material includes a biocompatible film.

20. The system of claim 15 , (i) wherein the opening is a first opening, and wherein the housing defines a second opening opposite the first opening, and (ii) which includes a rod structured and arranged to be (a) received through the second opening and (b) moveable within the interior volume so that the rod can contact a surface of the material secured over the opening.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the second opening includes a seal structured and arranged to allow the rod to move within the second opening while maintaining a substantially air tight seal within the interior volume.

22. The system of claim 15 , wherein the system is configured such that when the material expands, the average distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of micrografts is (i) less than about-2 mm or (ii) less than 4 mm.

23. The system of claim 15 , wherein the material is adhered to the plurality of micrografts.

24. The system of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of micrografts include a substantially continuous tissue layer, and the air pressure tears the substantially continuous tissue layer.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Gen Hospital
• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Asrani Falguni
• Farinelli William
• Shah Ajay
• Liu Vincent
• Anderson Richard R

Classifications

• A61P17/02

  for treating wounds, ulcers, burns, scars, keloids, or the like · CPC title

• A61P17/00

  Drugs for dermatological disorders · CPC title

• A61B17/322 Primary

  Skin grafting apparatus · CPC title

• A61F2/105

  Skin implants, e.g. artificial skin · CPC title

• A61B2017/3225

  with processing of harvested tissue · CPC title