Camy Bell, MS, APRN, CCNS, BCMAS
Burn injuries present complex challenges that require innovative solutions to optimize healing and patient outcomes. When healing is delayed, patients face increased risk of scarring, prolonged hospital stays, and significant disruptions to their work and family life.1
Two innovative wound care technologies, RECELL® and PermeaDerm®, provide benefits across all phases of burn care, including temporization, wound healing, and donor site management, offering a transformative care approach for patients with burn injuries when donor skin is limited.3,4
Phase 1: Temporization – Stabilizing the wound
Severe burns often require multiple staged procedures due to extensive tissue loss. In these cases, temporization plays a vital role in maintaining wound stability and preventing desiccation or infection while preparing the patient for definitive closure.5
As described by Woodroof and colleagues, PermeaDerm acts as an epidermal analogue, protecting wounds from trauma and providing a bacterial barrier. The customizable fenestrations allow for management of exudate while allowing carbon dioxide and oxygen to diffuse freely to and from the wound bed.6
Akpunonu and colleagues describe PermeaDerm as a viable alternative to cadaveric allograft for wound temporization, offering the advantages of simplified application and post-application wound assessment, while reducing cost and streamlining operating room efficiency.7
Phase 2: Wound healing – Accelerating recovery
Traditional burn care often requires meshed autografts. RECELL technology facilitates early wound healing at the cellular level with Spray-On Skin™ Cells that can be used alone or in conjunction with a split-thickness meshed graft.8-9
A small sample of the patient’s skin is processed with the RECELL device to prepare a suspension of Spray-On Skin Cells, harnessing millions of viable cells primed for healing.11 The cell suspension contains three primary cell types playing distinct roles: keratinocytes provide a protective barrier, fibroblasts deposit essential proteins, and melanocytes restore pigmentation. 10,11
Phase 3: Donor site management – Minimizing trauma
Skin grafting frequently requires large donor sites, leading to additional pain, prolonged healing, and extended hospital stays.12-13 The patient’s experience of a donor site wound is often described as the most painful part of recovering from a burn injury. RECELL allows for epithelial coverage from smaller biopsy samples, reducing the need for large donor site harvests.
This donor-sparing approach not only minimizes patient discomfort but also reduces the number of surgical interventions required for complete wound closure.3 This is crucial for patients with burns, where donor sites are scarce.
Further, PermeaDerm is designed for optimal wound healing of partial-thickness wounds, making it suitable dressing for donor sites.
Optimizing outcomes in patients with burn injuries
The integration of RECELL and PermeaDerm signifies a transformative shift in patient care. By leveraging the unique strengths of each of these technologies, clinicians can stabilize wounds, accelerate healing at the cellular level, minimize donor site trauma, and get patients out of the hospital sooner.3, 7-9, 14-17 As burn treatment continues to evolve, these technologies play an increasingly vital role in enhancing recovery and redefining the patient’s treatment journey.
Looking for more information? Read more about RECELL or PermeaDerm or view physician case studies:
Deep partial-thickness burn prior to autografting
Surgical wound prior to autografting
Scald burn – Partial thickness
Video case study – Pediatric scald injury on the thigh
About the author
Camy joined AVITA Medical in 2018 to support the launch of RECELL bringing with her over 15 years of burn, trauma, and wound care experience. As Director, Medical Affairs, she leads the Medical Science Liaison team at AVITA Medical in the pursuit of improving patient outcomes through scientific exchange with the healthcare community.
Camy holds an undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University and obtained her Clinical Nurse Specialist advanced practice nursing degree from the University of Colorado. She served patients at bedside and in nursing leadership at the University of Colorado Burn Center with a passion for implementing advanced wound care technologies, nurse-driven resuscitation, simulation-based training, and prevention and aftercare programs. In 2011, she was awarded the Nightingale Luminary Award for her significant contribution to the service of patients with burn injuries in Colorado.
- Chipp et al. Burns Trauma. 2017 Jan 19;5:3.
- Kowal et al. Adv Ther. 2019;36(7):1715-1729
- RECELL® Instructions for Use.
- PermeaDerm® Instructions for Use
- Halim et al. Indian J Plast Surg. 2010;43(Suppl):S23-S28.
- Woodroof et al. Eplasty. 2015;15:e30
- Akpunonu et al. J Surg. 2025; 10: 11308
- Navarro et al. J Burn Care Rehabil. 2000;21(6):513-518.
- Collins et al. J Surg Res. 2024;302:925-935
- Wood et al. Burns 2012
- Bush KA et al. Int Wound J. 2024 Jun;21(6):e14941.
- Asuku et al. Burns. 2021;47:1525-1546
- Rotatori et al. Burns. 2019;45(5):1066-1074.
- Holmes et al. Burns. 2019;45(4):772-782
- Holmes et al. J Burn Care Res. 2018;39(5):694-702
- Carter et al. Adv Ther. 2022;39(11):5191-5202; 8.
- Carson et al. Burns. 2023;S0305-4179(22)00299-6.