Category
Reconstructive Surgery
Typical Use
Expand harvested split thickness grafts to cover larger wound areas.
Description
A mechanical device that creates a patterned series of slits in a harvested skin graft to allow expansion and drainage, increasing the surface area covered by a graft and facilitating conformability to irregular wound beds in burn and reconstructive surgery. Meshing reduces donor site requirements and promotes fluid egress, but produces a characteristic mesh pattern that may affect cosmetic outcome; selection of mesh ratio balances coverage needs with aesthetic considerations. Proper graft handling, mesher maintenance, and postoperative dressing protocols support graft take and minimize infection risk.