Jaipur: Acid attack victims or those burnt in car accidents in India may no longer draw a sense of regret for the “permanent loss of looks” as a long-overdue dream to have a 'Skin Bank' at the Sawai Mansingh Medical College, Jaipur in Rajasthan could soon be a reality.
Officials said the prestigious medical institute had been long conducting trials to set up a skin bank in Jaipur, however, due to lack of proper location and resources, the much ambitious project had become a dream. Now this dream is coming true. A skin bank is being set up at the hospital's super-specialty center.
In this bank, the human skin can be kept safe from minus 20 degrees to minus 70 degrees. This would benefit the acid victims and the patients burnt in an accident. More importantly, the skin can be preserved for surgeries for 6 months to 3 years, an official said.
Dr. Rakesh Jain, Unit Head, Plastic Surgery Department, SMS Hospital said that a private organization has been pivotal to making this dream come true. He informed that for a long time the exercise of making skin bank was going on in SMS Hospital and now it becoming a reality. He also said the bank could not be started due to lack of space and equipment for a long time adding the resources are now being made available through the Rotary Club and it will soon be possible to start this bank in a new super specialty center.
Dr. Jain informed that every year a large number of burn patients in accidents are reported to the hospital and had to face disappointment due to the lack of such a facility so far. “But now due to the formation of skin bank, the lives of such patients can be saved,” he added. Whose skin can be taken? Usually, the organs of brain-dead patients are transplanted to needy people, so now the skin of these brain-dead patients can save the life of any patient.
Dr. Jain said that the skin of the brain-dead patient can be kept safe in this 'Screen Bank' (Skin Bank In Jaipur) and for this, an organ transplant retrieval center has been set up at Ajmer, Udaipur Bikaner, Kota Medical College. The skin of brain dead patients visiting Organ Transplant Retrieval Centers will also be life-saving said, Dr. Jain. He said that in this process only the skin of hands and feet can be used.
He also said that it will be the largest skin bank in North India where it will also be possible to treat acid victims. In addition, patients who have suffered more than 50 percent burns will be given a new lease of life. How is the infection spread?
Excessive scorching causes loss of protein and electrolyte fluid in the patient. This spreads the infection in the patient's body. If skin grafting is done for such patients then the infection will definitely stop. Although the body will reject this skin for some time, the patient will have recovered by that time.
