Chennai: The Stanley Medical College and Hospital has inaugurated a skin bank, in order to help burn victims. The skin bank will be used to store harvested donor skin, that can be used on burn injuries as a temporary skin cover, until the patient’s own skin begins to grow.

According to the hospital’s press release, the donor skin will help patients with burns, acute skin failure due to drug allergies, degloving injuries, flaying injuries, friction and skin injuries, acute slicing injuries, and for several kinds of ulcers.

The donor skin is usually harvested within six hours, and stored in glycerol while being taken to the skin bank. At the skin bank, the donor skin is first sterilized with ultra-violet rays. It is then processed with chemicals and then preserved at minus 4 degree Celsius. The skin can be stored for up to five years. Skin from donors suffering from HIV, or Hepatitis B and C, are not taken.

Any dead donor, over the age of 18, and free of HIV and Hepatitis, is eligible to donate, the hospital release said.