New Zealand Orders 1,300 Square Feet of Skin From US To Help Burned Volcano Victims (people.com) 65
schwit1 shares a report from People: Doctors in New Zealand are currently awaiting nearly 1,300 square feet of skin from the United States in order to treat the dozens of victims who suffered severe burns when a volcano erupted on White Island Monday afternoon. Dr. Peter Watson, chief medical officer of Counties Manukau Health, said at a press conference Wednesday that there are 29 patients being treated in intensive care and burn units at four different hospitals throughout New Zealand. Twenty-four of the burn patients remain in critical condition.
"We currently have supplies but are urgently sourcing additional supplies to meet the demand for dressing and temporary skin grafts," Watson said. "We anticipate we will require an additional 1.2 million square centimeters [1,292 square feet] of skin for the ongoing needs of the patients. These supplies are coming from the United States and the order has been placed." Watson said the nature of the victims' injuries had been made "complicated" by the gases and chemicals in the eruption, thus making "more rapid" surgical treatment necessary, as opposed to if they'd suffered thermal-only burns. CNN reports that the skin grafts are coming from people who are registered to donate skin after their deaths, and typically are taken from the donors' backs or the backs of their legs.
There were a total of 47 travelers on the island when the volcano erupted Monday just after 2 p.m. Six people were killed.
"We currently have supplies but are urgently sourcing additional supplies to meet the demand for dressing and temporary skin grafts," Watson said. "We anticipate we will require an additional 1.2 million square centimeters [1,292 square feet] of skin for the ongoing needs of the patients. These supplies are coming from the United States and the order has been placed." Watson said the nature of the victims' injuries had been made "complicated" by the gases and chemicals in the eruption, thus making "more rapid" surgical treatment necessary, as opposed to if they'd suffered thermal-only burns. CNN reports that the skin grafts are coming from people who are registered to donate skin after their deaths, and typically are taken from the donors' backs or the backs of their legs.
There were a total of 47 travelers on the island when the volcano erupted Monday just after 2 p.m. Six people were killed.
Why can't they take live donors? (Score:3)
There was an article about this - they don't take from live donors. Why not? They take kidneys, bone marrow, and other "live" samples, why not skin?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/20... [abc.net.au]
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I'm surprised this isn't being grown in the lab by now, what with all the work growing ears on mice and whatnot.
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I've read about 3d printing skin as a thing being pursued in research but not production level with rapid turnarounds like this. Maybe someday but a lot of these technologies you read about aren't anywhere near so special in practice.
A lot of people die, and for the most part they all have skin (unless they died in this fire). So that seems far more cost and time effective and practical.
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I've read about 3d printing skin as a thing being pursued in research but not production level with rapid turnarounds like this. Maybe someday but a lot of these technologies you read about aren't anywhere near so special in practice.
A lot of people die, and for the most part they all have skin (unless they died in this fire). So that seems far more cost and time effective and practical.
Finally. A job plausibly worse than mine.
"I'll be home in a little while sweetie... I only have to peel two more people."
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These aren't permanent grafts though, right? Are the initial grafts essentially little more than bandages to allow the underlying skin to heal and regrow?
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Bone marrow grows back. Most of the time you don't even notice you only have one kidney. Losing a big patch of your skin would be considerably more uncomfortable and it will never really heal properly (and it will leave you susceptible to infection).
Exclusive dealer..? (Score:3)
Why does TFS/A read like the United States is the sole supplier of human skin?
When you have people clinging to life in critical condition I get you're not exactly afforded the luxury of shopping around, but that only re-affirms my point here. Are there seriously no other countries who can also assist with this rather time-sensitive issue? Is the practice of donating skin postmortem not legal anywhere else?
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I'm sure they could get some from China.
Re: Exclusive dealer..? (Score:4, Insightful)
I think it's more the US is the only country that has that much extra supply to donate, given its size. And China, while it has a large population, due to cultural beliefs rates of donation are incredibly low (that's part of why red flags have been raised regarding Falum Gong and Uighurs-the official rates and availability of organ transplants dont really match the rates of donations)
Re: Exclusive dealer..? (Score:5, Funny)
I think it's more the US is the only country that has that much extra supply to donate, given its size.
I know we're a bunch of fatties, but there's no need to go poking fun at us about it.
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Australia has already provided some skin, and undoubtedly other countries will as well. I think it's a matter of the volume (or surface area to be precise) that makes this notable.
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Where else do you have so many fat fucks besides the USA?
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Archie Bunker is a leftist?
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Probably. But.
The large population, cultural acceptance of postmortem organ donations, and modern (relatively) unified medical system are going to make the US a major provider in this sort of situation though.
It's also possible to argue that the US has relatively high rate of trauma deaths (automobile, gunshots, etc) compared to the rest of the world, which should also make a significant difference is the qualit
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Are there seriously no other countries who can also assist with this rather time-sensitive issue?
Of course they are. But news stories in papers that are locally based someone tend to offer a local viewpoint.
You can see some other stories such as this one which spins it nicely that they asked the USA but the USA is too slow so Australia is doing something about it.
The thing is skin can be put on storage for 5 years. But skin is also only donated in a thin layer, and multiple layers are needed to treat a burn. The end result is that a single burn victim can often be treated with donor skin from 10-20 peo
Sure kiwis, weâ(TM)d be glad to help out (Score:2, Funny)
But we donâ(TM)t have any skin in the game.
BLOOD (Score:2)
http://www.worldstopexports.co... [worldstopexports.com]
And what's the price? (Score:1)
Why why why? (Score:3)
Why would you wander around in the crater of an active volcano? There's taking a calculated risk and there's just being braindead irresponsible. I don't blame the tourists so much for this - they were probably given soothing words saying don't worry it'll be fine. Its the tour companies who should be nailed to the wall for this criminal cavalier attitude.
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Ever so often, a calculated risk goes wrong. (Score:2)
That is what being alive means.
And then the pussies crawl out of their basement safe spaces, and lament why everything wasn't even safer and more worthless. Note how that happens, *regardless* how low the calculated risk was.
It's a Millenial anxiety epidemic thing.
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"That is what being alive means."
Except they're now dead. Perhaps revisit your logic.
Anyone who has to risk their lives to give meaning to it obviously don't have much of one to start with.
Re:Why why why? (Score:4, Insightful)
The inevitability of all 'Adventure Tourism is that it will as probability comes to pass, lead to death my misadventure'. A person has a right to risk their life during adventure, however it depends when others sell that risk, how clear in their advertising they are about the real risk ie eventually inevitably some of the visitors will die, just a matter of time. Although in that case, employment becomes worse, how effective was the risk management for the tour operator employees. You have every right to try to climb a cliff and fall off, you have no right to lead someone else up there.
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Why not? The chances of an eruption happening while you are there is vanishingly small. That it happened is simply a matter of chance. That said, why do people knowingly and willfully take drugs which have a high probability of maiming or killing them despite decades of being told of the dangers? Is that a calculated risk or braindead irresponsible?
Its the tour companies who should be nailed to the wall for this criminal cavalier att
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The tour companies will likely face significant liability since vulcanologists over the years have strongly urged them to discontinue the tours.
I wouldn't go so far as saying they should be nailed to the wall though.
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"If it weren't for the fact the U.S. government considers me a criminal so I don't fly"
If you're banned from flying then you clearly ARE a criminal.
"Why not experience the wonders of this world?"
You don't need to risk your life to do that.
"Why not challenge yourself?"
Not all of us feel so insecure that we have to "challenge" ourselves. The need to constantly push yourself regardless of the dangers is usually indicative of a damaged personality and someone desperately trying to prove to themselves that they'
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The biggest calculated risk most people take is getting into your car every day. About 1 in every 100 people is fated to die in a car accident [iii.org]. These 6 fatalities are the first I've ever heard of from volcano tourism, and I suspect there have been a *lot* more than 600 such tourists over the years.
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Using a car is a necessity for most people. I doubt that applies to wandering around a volcanic crater.
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To be fair, 0.0047% of visitors have been harmed by an eruption since tourism at the site started, though the harm was quite severe for those unfortunates and lethal for at least 8 of them.
But I'm sure the courts will weigh in on liability for this, and they may not find any disclaimers of responsibility to be enforceable.
Thin skin (Score:2)
Time to skin those prisoners alive (Score:1)
How many fat americans does it take (Score:2, Funny)
to cover 20 burn victims? 1
Re: How many fat americans does it take (Score:2)
Considering that being obese has lots of negative effects, I am starting to womder if fat shaming might actually be a good thing if it prevents people from getting too obese and getting metabolic syndrome and an assortments of maladies. Wouldnâ(TM)t you do whatever it takes to help your friends?
Millions of ... square ... centimeters. (Score:4)
Why not bazillions of square attometers? If you fail at metric, then at least go all the way! ;)
It's 120m^2,by the way. About 10 small gardens, or the creepy floor of a 24-room mansion. ;)
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it's a bigger number :-)
1200 square feet or 120 square meters - however you like it. Still - that's a big sheet of skin. I read this and in my mind imagined a giant rolled up "rug" of skin being shipped. Then doctors put it on a giant spool and cut off a few feet, and then wrapped it on patients.
Still - a rectangle 120 meters on a side is huge !! That's seems like a lot.
Although I can't imagine a "million centimeters" A million of anything is impossibly large.
That is what I said. (Score:2)
Thank you for making an ultra+verbose repetitive version of a third of my comment, for those extra-"special" people out there.
Nobody ever doesn't think of them.
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Duh, 120sq metres is an square roughly 11 metres by 11 metres.
Double standard (Score:1)
...Sure, when I harvest skin from "donors", they call me insane....LOL
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...Sure, when I harvest skin from "donors", they call me insane....LOL
Well, they aren't keeping their donors in a pit loosening up the skin so it can be harvested and made into a jacket, Bill.
At last! (Score:2)
A use for antivaxers.
WTF (Score:1)
Won't someone think of the lampshades!???
Kind of a serious question (Score:2)
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You rip a piece of on the tiny saw blade on the edge of the box. Where it then proceeds to get stuck to itself.
Then you have to throw the piece of skin away and start over.
That's why they need so much. The waste factor is huge.
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I don't know, but I'm assuming it's flown there in a cooler like other transplant organs. It's probably sealed in a plastic baggy, on ice.
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They should order some brains too (Score:2)
What were they thinking?
It's be more humane to euphanise them.
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Not from the US though
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Turn them into a Euphemism? Trying to find a more pleasant alternative I suppose...
As a burn victim myself I'm pretty glad the go-to solution wasn't euthanasia... Burns cause more pain and dis-figuration than most afflictions but the general solution to the problem is still generally not to eliminate the patient.
I've got a whole bunch they can have (Score:2)
But I'm using it right now, so if they want it they're going to have to pay for a bunch of liposucking. Color: white. Hair: significant.
Planned Parenthood To the Rescue (Score:1)
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They've been caught selling baby parts already.
Ah, idiot fake news. What did we ever do without you? Oh right. We've always had National Inquirer and Weekly World News. But at least you could tell from its location at the supermarket that it was bullshit. And yet enough people pay for that nonsense to have kept them in business since... fucking 1926? Good grief, people really do have a lot of time and disposable income on their hands to absolutely waste for entertainment so poor it would need to take a step up to qualify as merely bad.
Who has square feet? (Score:2)