After a delay of 23 years, the first skin bank was established in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, 8 March 2024
The Skin Bank of Civil Hospital Ahmedabad has been created by the State Government and Rotary Club Kankaria.
Ahmedabad is the first skin bank in the city and the largest in the state. Rotary Club Rs. Equipment worth Rs 48 lakh has been given.

Social organizations have started a campaign to start skin banks across India by 2023. Skin banks are functioning in all major cities of the country. Now Ahmedabad has also joined it late. Every year 400 burn patients are admitted to the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Accident patients sometimes require skin grafts. 200 skin grafting operations are performed. The skin bank will be run by the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery. Skin bank has been started in Gujarat after a delay of 23 years.

A person who has decided to donate skin posthumously or has obtained consent for skin donation from the next of kin after death can donate skin. Along with skin, liver, kidney, heart and other organs can also be donated. With the start of the Skin Bank, patients will be able to get timely treatment for skin burns and serious injuries. Wounds will also heal quickly. Most people suffer more than 40% burns. People can now donate screen i.e. skin even after death.

Skin is donated within 6 hours of death. Skin banked (specially processed) skin can be used for up to 5 years.

The person’s skin (layer of skin) is taken and preserved by doing necessary tests. Skin is used in cases of skin damage, burns, accidents.

Skin from this skin bank can be used in cases where it is medically fit or where there is a very large wound where it is not possible to completely cover the wound with the patient’s skin.

lasts for 5 years
The skin is taken within 6 hours of death. Skin banked (specially processed) skin can be used for up to 5 years. Stored in vials containing 85% glycerol in 50% alcohol at 40 to 80 °C.

when to donate
Skin from any person can be transplanted into any person. It is not necessary to have the same blood group for skin transplant.
Skin can be donated within 6 hours of death in a brain dead patient or at home. In the first phase, skin of brain dead patients is donated. That is why the Government of India has issued the rules of Human End and Tissue Transplantation Act, no cross match will be required for skin donation.

Process
A sample of the donor’s blood is taken to test for HIV, hepatitis B and C and sexually transmitted infections. Only when all tests come back negative, the donor skin donation process begins.

Do not donate to this patient
Skin cannot be donated if someone has jaundice or any type of cancer, HIV AIDS or sexually transmitted diseases before death.

pain and expense will be reduced
According to doctors, skin donation can increase survival rates and prevent infections. It also reduces pain. Length of hospital stay and cost of treatment are reduced. Donated skin is usually reserved for 80%. It is kept at a temperature of 4 to 6 degrees.

life will be saved
Generally, in cases of more than 50 percent burns, the risk of infection is very high for the victim. In such cases, the person’s own skin is not sufficient for treatment, so the donated skin will help in treating the injured person’s burnt skin. In more than 80 percent of burn cases, the lives of victims can be saved.

Beautiful Face
40 to 50 percent of burn cases can be cured by skin donation. The faces of people disfigured by acid attacks, causing deep burns to the eyes, mouth and nose, can be repaired through complex operations. In cases of more than 80 percent burns, the victim’s life can also be saved.

need
Every year 70 lakh people in India need skin. Every year 3 lakh people in Gujarat need skin. There are cases of burns caused by fire, electricity, chemicals or radiation, of which 80 percent are women and children. According to the World Health Organization report in April 2014, 2 lakh 65 thousand people die from burns every year worldwide and more than one lakh people suffer moderate or severe burn injuries every year in India. Indian people are ahead in burning in the world. It is estimated that 1 to 1.5 lakh people will burn in India in 2024.

For this reason, India’s first skin bank was opened in Sion Hospital, Mumbai in the year 2000.

Where is the skin taken from?
Human skin consists of eight layers, of which only the top layer, the eighth layer, is removed. For skin donation, skin of 1/8 thickness is removed from the thighs, legs and back of the body. It takes 30-45 minutes. The skin is removed with a special instrument called a dermatome. It looks like a cutting knife. Before this, these parts of the body are first cleaned with betadine. The hair is then removed. Applying skin to the victim’s injury stops the release of vital protein fluid, thereby preventing infection. Apart from this, there is no need of daily dressing and there is no pain.

first bank
India’s first skin bank – National Burn Center was launched in Mumbai on 5 October 2001 and was launched in 2001 to promote skin donation.It was the only skin bank in the country until Ganga Hospital Skin Bank was started in 2015.

banks in the country
As of June 2023, there were 16 skin banks in India. Of these, 7 were Hanskin Bank in Maharashtra, 4 in Chennai, 3 in Karnataka and one each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. There are reports of more than 50 skin banks being opened in India by March 2024. There are skin banks in Indore, Nashik, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur, Coimbatore and Manipal.

call for help
Some of these centers have a 24-hour skin donation helpline. For more information about skin donation you can visit NOTTO’s website. The helpline number is 1800114770. You can call this number to inquire about skin donation and transplant.