Queen Mary Skin Bank

Skin donation for care of extensive burn injury


Skin Donation

Skin provides coverage and protection of the body for water loss and infection. In burn injury, skin grafting is required for deep burn to enhance wound healing and restore normal skin function. Skin grafting can be harvested from remaining unburned area. With major burn of large area involvement, the harvested skin can be meshed to expand the area of coverage. Sometimes repeated harvesting will be required to provide adequate skin for wound coverage and healing.

In patients with large area of burn involvement, there may not be adequate unburned skin for harvesting and time is required for the donated area to recover. The use of donated skin will allow temporary coverage and protection of the burn wound. In addition, the donated skin can provide a template for regeneration, although rejection is usually a concern.





Queen Mary Skin Bank

The Queen Mary Skin Bank is run by the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division of Queen Mary Hospital. Established in 1996 by donation fund, it provides donated cadaveric skin for management of major burn injuries.

In general, skin donation involves 4 processes: harvesting, processing, storage and retrieval for usage.
Skin harvesting is performed in deceased donor within 12 hours of death in the operation theatre under sterile technique. The skin is harvested from coverage area such as trunk, thighs, upper legs, arms and forearms. Only a superficial partial thickness skin is harvested and the remaining skin is still intact. The skin is then processed with computerized freezer to -90 degree Celsius and stored at below -140 degree Celsius in a storage freezer. The cryo-preserved skin is banked for later usage. When indicated in extensive burn care, the donated skin is retrieved and used as a sandwiched graft with patient’s own skin to cover the wound to enhance wound healing.

Donated cadaveric skin is important for care of major burn. It provides coverage and assists wound healing. Hence skin donation is as important as other organ donation.

瑪麗醫院皮膚儲存庫

皮膚捐贈對廣泛燒傷的治理


皮膚捐贈

皮膚是提供身體的覆蓋和保護, 以防止水分流失和感染。在燒傷中,深層燒傷是需要皮膚移植以增強傷口癒合並恢復正常的皮膚功能。皮膚移植可以從剩餘的未燃位置提取。至於牽涉大面積燒傷,穫取的皮膚可以整理至網狀以擴大覆蓋面積。有時候需要重複採集才能提供足夠的皮膚來覆蓋傷口和癒合。
在燒傷面積大的患者中,可能沒有足夠的未燒傷皮膚用於提取,捐贈區域的皮膚亦需要時間康復。使用捐贈的皮膚可以臨時用末覆蓋和保護燒傷傷口。此外,捐贈的皮膚可以提供用於再生的模板,但是排斥都是我們關注的。





瑪麗醫院皮膚儲存庫

瑪麗醫院皮膚儲存庫是由瑪麗醫院整形及重建外科管理。捐贈基金於一九九六年成立,提供逝世者捐贈的皮膚,用於治療重大燒傷的患者。
一般來說,皮膚捐贈涉及四個步驟:收取,加工,儲存和檢索以供使用。
從逝世者供體中取獲的皮膚, 必需在死亡十二小時內, 在手術室用無菌技術進行。從覆蓋區域收集明皮膚,如軀幹,大腿,前腿,手臂和前臂。只收穫淺層部分厚度的皮膚,剩下的皮膚仍然完好無損。然後將皮膚用計算機化的冷凍機處理至-90攝氏度,並在低於-140攝氏度的儲存冷藏室中儲存。冷凍保存的皮膚被儲存以供以後使用。當有廣泛燒傷的患者,所儲存捐贈的皮膚會用作患者自身皮膚的夾層植入物以覆蓋傷口以增強傷口癒合。
逝世者捐贈的皮膚對於燒傷的冶理很重要。它提供覆蓋和幫助傷口癒合。因此,皮膚捐贈與其他器官捐贈一樣同等的重要。