In Practice
‘Getting under our skin’: Introducing banked allograft skin to burn surgery in South Africa
Abstract
Deceased donor skin possesses many of the properties of the ideal biological dressing, and a well-stocked skin bank has become a critically important asset for the modern burn surgeon. Without it, managing patients with extensive burns and wounds becomes far more challenging, and outcomes are significantly worse. With the recent establishment of such a bank in South Africa, the challenge facing the medical fraternity is to facilitate tissue donation so that allograft skin supply can match the enormous demand.
Authors' affiliations
Nikki Allorto, Edendale Hospital Burn Service, Pietermaritzburg; Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Alan David Rogers, Ross Tilley Burn Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto; Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
Heinz Rode, Burn Unit, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town; Division of Paediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
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Date published: 2016-08-03
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