Jipmer does successful skin transplant

PUDUCHERRY: A team of doctors from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) led by head of the department of plastic surgery Ravi Kumar Chitoria successfully performed, what they said was the first cadaveric skin transplantation in the country performed in a governmwnt hospital. They harvested skin from a brain dead girl and transplanted it on two patients, who had sustained severe burn injuries.
Chitoria said roughly 20-30sqcm of skin was harvested from the thighs of a 15-year-old girl, an accident victim, who was declared brain-dead. A part of the skin was transplanted on upper neck, chest and part of the arm of a 35-year-old woman, who sustained severe bun injuries in an accident two weeks ago.
Another part was transplanted on 20-year-old man to cure a chronic non-healing wound he sustained following an electrical burn. The man who lost both hands in the accident a few years ago had a chronic wound over the chest.
"The transplantations were performed on October 9. Both patients are responding well and are under observation. Burn patients will be discharged only after their injuries heal as they are susceptible to infections, septicemia and organ failure," said Chitoria.
The parents of the brain dead girl were also willing to donate her hands but they were too small for the 20-year-man, who had lost both hands in the accident.
"Skin is the largest organ in the human body. There are several patients, victims of buns besides cancer patients and those losing vital tissues after surgeries requiring skin and tissue transplantation. However the awareness on skin and tissue harvesting and transplantation is low," he said.
Jipmer performed transplantation free of cost. The procedure would have cost roughly 5 lakh at a private hospital. He said the Union government has certified a committee of the institute to declare a patient 'brain dead', while the patient's heart, lungs, kidneys and other vital organs were still functioning. "Only brain dead patients are considered for cadaveric organ and tissue transplantation," he said.
Jipmer director S C Parija said the Union health and family welfare ministry granted license to the institute to perform cadaveric tissue transplantation in July this year. "Cadaveric skin transplantation in Jipmer is the first time in the country in a government hospital," Parija said.
Jipmer has also been performing cornea and kidney transplantations. The institute recently acquired license to perform liver transplantation. Liver transplant, which roughly costs between 20 lakh and 30 lakh in private hospitals, will cost between 5lakh and 7 lakh at Jipmer.