Dedicated skin, tissue banks to boost donations

Skin and tissue donations have seen an increase in Mumbai after the establishment of dedicated skin and tissue banks. The recently launched skin and tissue bank at KEM Hospital has recorded seven amniotic membrane donations over the past two months, and the hospital plans to go to people?s doorsteps for skin retrieval. The Wadia Hospital also has a donation bank, but has not yet received any donations. Meanwhile, a private skin and tissue bank in Vakola is spreading awareness and encouraging bone donations, and the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee is encouraging transplant coordinators to promote tissue and bone donations.

Mumbai: After cadaver organ donations witnessed a rise in the city, skin and tissue donations too got a boost after establishment of dedicated skin and tissue banks.

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While the newly-launched skin and tissue bank at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run KEM Hospital has recorded seven amniotic membrane donations over the last two months, plans are afoot to go to people’s doorsteps for skin retrieval.

Dr Vinita Puri, head, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive Surgery and Burns, said, “Amniotic sac is a valuable tissue having a lot of anti-inflammatory and healing properties. When used as a temporary cover to the wound, it helps in healing.”

The plastic surgery department of the hospital has also formed a WhatsApp group with the gynaecology and obstetrics department to know about planned deliveries.

“Amniotic membrane is a part of the placenta. It is the tissue closest to a baby while it develops in the womb. The membrane is usually discarded after a child’s birth. However, the plastic surgery team gets details of the day’s routine C-section deliveries and meets the couple. We take the placenta with the consent of the mother,” Dr Puri added. It is often used to heal traumatic wounds and diabetic ulcers, where the skin will not heal on its own.

On the other hand, Dr Astrid Lobo Gajiwala, who earlier headed the Tata Memorial Hospital’s tissue bank, has set up a private skin and tissue bank in Vakola, which is spreading awareness and getting more bone donations. The bank was instrumental in the last two bone donations in Jaslok Hospital.

“Now that we have an established bank and a doctor for retrieval, we will see more bone donations. Bone donations are extremely helpful for orthopaedic conditions like revision hip replacement, reconstructive, spine and even dental surgeries,” she said. Dr Lobo added tendons are also being retrieved and this is done without disfiguring the donor.

Donated bones are used for patients who lose bones due to bone cancer, necrosis, reconstruction surgeries and fusion procedures.

Meanwhile, Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) has been emphasising bone and tissue donations and encouraging transplant coordinators to sensitise people about the donation. “We have instructed transplant coordinators to counsel the people about tissue and bone donations. It seems to be working and the numbers are slowly picking up,” Dr Bharat Shah, ZTCC general secretary, said.