BENGALURU: Karnataka’s first skin bank at the government-run Victoria Hospital in the city is facing an acute shortage of skin. It is now left with 2000 sq cm of skin sufficient to treat only one patient with severe burns, according to doctors.
The skin bank has received only 182 donations since its inception in 2016. Doctors at the burns ward attribute the shortage to the increasing number of burn cases and poor response from donors. Dr Ramesh KT, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns, said the skin harvested will be sent immediately to the needy patients. Doctors have to often choose patients, depending on the severity of the case, for utilising the harvested skin.
The burns ward receives around 200 cases monthly, varying from mild to severe. Burns due to LPG cylinder blasts, electrical gadgets catching fire, and suicidal burns are the most common cases, Dr Ramesh said.
Nagaraj BN, Nursing Officer (Skin), Victoria Hospital, said the number of people volunteering for skin donation is less. Moreover, there is a misconception that a person’s body will be disfigured if he donates skin.
Usually, the skin is taken from the thigh and back of a person. The skin should be harvested within six hours of the death of the person. It is a simple process that is completed within 30 minutes, he said.
Dr Ramesh stressed the need for raising awareness of skin donation.