First-year experience of a new skin bank in Brazil

Abstract

Aim: To report the 1 st year experience of the skin bank opened at the Evangelical University Hospital of Curitiba (HUEC), Brazil in June 2013. Methods: A retrospective statistical and epidemiological study was conducted from data obtained from the activities of the HUEC skin bank from June 2013 to August 2014. Results: The HUEC skin bank harvested tissue from 45 cadaveric donors (46.6% female and 53.3% male), with an average age of 36.42. The white skin-colored donors represented 91% of donations. Most causes of death were of neurological origin (55.6%). Eighty-one batches were harvested. The bank processed 31,314.63 cm 2 of skin for transplantation (41 batches), and 38 batches were discarded. The distributed allografts totaled 28,940.82 cm 2 , with tissue from a single donor benefitting up to 5 patients. A total of 52 transplant procedures were performed (66.6% of recipients were male and 33.3% female), burn victims represented 83.3% of the recipients. Conclusion: The HUEC skin bank provides skin primarily for victims with severe third-degree burns, mostly men, and who are treated and transplanted in the HUEC as a result of high demand. The successful outcomes highlight the potential use for other clinical indications.