Description

Source: IndiaToday
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Context
- The Indian Army has recently established a skin bank facility to aid in the treatment of severe burn injuries and other skin-related conditions.
- This facility, a first-of-its-kind within the Armed Forces Medical Services, will serve military personnel and their families, providing a critical resource for skin grafting procedures.
Details
What is a Skin Bank?
- A skin bank is a facility where donated skin from deceased individuals is collected, processed, and stored for future use in medical treatments, primarily for burn victims.
- The skin can be preserved for up to 5 years under controlled conditions.
Key Features of the Indian Army's Skin Bank
- Centralised Hub: The facility acts as a centralised hub for the collection, processing, storage, and distribution of skin grafts.
- Specialised Staff: Staffed with trained medical professionals, including plastic surgeons, tissue engineers, and specialised technicians.
- Storage Conditions: Skin is preserved in an 85% glycerol solution at temperatures between 4-5 degrees Celsius.
Skin Donation Process
- Eligibility: Any individual over the age of 18, except those with conditions like AIDS, Hepatitis B & C, STDs, skin cancer, active skin diseases, and septicemia, can donate skin.
- Collection: Skin must be donated within 6 hours of death.
- Processing: The donated skin is tested for infections (HIV, viral markers, Hepatitis), processed, and preserved.
- Storage: Processed skin can be stored for up to 5 years.

Importance of Skin Grafting
- Skin grafting is a surgical procedure where a piece of healthy skin is transplanted to an area where the skin is damaged or missing.
- This procedure significantly improves survival rates and healing times for burn victims and can reduce hospital stays and treatment costs.
Procedure for Skin Grafting
- Preparation: The damaged area is cleaned and prepared for the graft.
- Harvesting: A thin layer of healthy skin is removed from the donor site.
- Transplantation: The harvested skin is placed on the damaged area and secured.
- Healing: The graft is monitored to ensure proper adhesion and integration.
Benefits of the Skin Bank
- Immediate Availability: Provides a ready supply of skin for emergencies.
- Reduces Mortality: Skin grafts can significantly reduce death rates in severe burn cases.
- Enhanced Recovery: Promotes better healing and faster recovery for patients.
- Cost-Effective: Shortens hospital stays and lowers overall treatment costs.
- Geographic Flexibility: Donated skin can be transported across the country to help patients in need.
Types of Skin Grafts
- Autografts
- Description: Skin taken from the patient's own body.
- Advantages: Reduced risk of rejection and infection.
- Disadvantages: Requires a donor site, which creates another wound.
- Allografts
- Description: Skin taken from another human donor, usually a cadaver.
- Advantages: No need for an additional wound on the patient.
- Disadvantages: Higher risk of rejection and infection, temporary solution as the body eventually rejects it.
- Xenografts
- Description: Skin taken from a different species, usually pigs.
- Advantages: Readily available and no additional wound on the patient.
- Disadvantages: Temporary solution, higher risk of infection and rejection.
- Synthetic Grafts
- Description: Man-made materials used to cover the wound.
- Advantages: No risk of disease transmission, customizable to the patient's needs.
- Disadvantages: May not integrate as well as natural skin, potential for long-term complications.
Sources:
IndiaToday
PRACTICE QUESTION
Q. Skin grafting is a vital technique in reconstructive surgery, offering solutions for patients with significant skin loss. Comment. (10 Marks)
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