A Skin Bank at Osmania General Hospital was inaugurated by Telangana Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali on Monday. It is a first in any of the government or corporate hospital in the State, and 17th across India. It holds significance as chances of mortality increases among people who suffer from over 50% burns.
Professor at the department, N Nagaprasad, said that pain and infection decreases when skin is used for treatment on the burns patients, thereby chances of survival too increases. After clearing all tests and cultures, harvested skin can be stored for up to five years.
Rotary Club of Hyderabad East ( RCHE) and Hetero Group have tied up with the government hospital to set up the Skin Bank, at around ₹ 60 lakh cost, with support of National Burns Centres, which is providing technological inputs to the project.
Head of the Plastic Surgery department at OGH P. Lakshmi said that skin will be harvested from lower limbs, back of cadaver donors, within 6 hours after death or from patients who are declared brain dead. Similar to eye donation, people can register to donate skin too.
Information about death of donors will be sent to skin bank. The teams will go to harvest the skin. The harvested skin will be processed in the bank. Along with skin graft, blood is collected from donors to check for various infections and diseases. Besides, culture tests are performed on skin. If the skin is free of infections, diseases, or microorganisms, it is stored in the bank. HIV , skin cancer, severe infection, skin diseases are contraindication for skin donation.
“Skin will be harvested from cadaver with an instrument called dermatome. Donor parts are dressed neatly. There will be no bleeding or disfigurement,” Dr. Lakshmi said.
Staff at the skin bank will undergo training. Thereafter, the teams will harvest skin from donors. This could take two to three months.
Superintendent of the hospital B. Nagender, assistant professor Madhusudhan, and others too were present at the inauguration.
Info-graphic:
First skin bank in Telangana inaugurated at OGH
Skin harvested from donors can be stored up to 5 years
Chances of death increases if a person suffers from over 50% burns
Lives of such patients can be saved by using skin from the banks
Pain and chances of infections too decreases when skin is used on patients
Of around 1200-1500 burns patients at OGH, half have more than 50% burns
Skin is protective cover to all internal organs
If the defence mechanism is breached, chances of contracting infections increases
Skin is harvested from lower limbs, back of cadaver donors, within 6 hrs after death or from patients who are declared brain dead
There will be no bleeding or disfigurement after skin is harvested
Ends//
