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8/7/2018 CTE running out of skin to treat burn victims
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CTE RUNNING OUT OF SKIN TO TREAT BURN VICTIMS
The Organ Donor Foundation says 4,300 patients are awaiting lifesaving organs.
FILE: Skin collected by the Centre for Tissue Engineering. Picture: @ProudlySA/Twitter.
Organ Donor Foundation (https://ewn.co.za/Topic/Organ-Donor-Foundation) Organ donations (https://ewn.co.za/Topic/Organ-donations)
Kgomotso Modise (//ewn.co.za/Contributors/kgomotso-modise) | 6 days ago (6 days ago)
JOHANNESBURG - The Centre for Tissue Engineering (CTE) says it’s sitting with about two days’ supply of skin in its bank.
The Press Club, in collaboration with the centre and the Organ Donor Foundation, has held a brie ng on skin shortages to treat burn victims.
As August is Organ Donor Awareness Month, the Organ Donor Foundation says 4,300 patients are awaiting lifesaving organs.
The CTE, which is the only skin bank in the country, says skin that is donated is gathered into packs of between 360 and 600cm² to treat children and
adults.
The CTE’s general manager Cleo Ndhlovu says: "Though in 2016, those packs we did 65 of those. This year we only did 60 up to the end of June."
She says in 2017, the bank was only able to supply just over half of orders received from hospitals.
"That came from the orders we received. That doesn't mean it was the country's requirement. We must make that distinction."
Ndhlovu says it’s imperative that the public is educated on the donation of skin as the window period that skin can be used after the death of a patient is
12 hours.
(Edited by Zamangwane Shange)
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