New Zealand volcano victims require skin grafts from CORPSES and are so badly injured they still haven’t woken up
INJURED victims of the New Zealand volcano will have the skin of dead people grafted on to their wounds while recovering in hospital. The White Island eruption on December 9 has killed at least 16 people and injured 26 others – many of whom have not regained consciousness. Plastic surgeon Michelle Locke, who works at […]
INJURED victims of the New Zealand volcano will have the skin of dead people grafted on to their wounds while recovering in hospital.
The White Island eruption on December 9 has killed at least 16 people and injured 26 others – many of whom have not regained consciousness.
Plastic surgeon Michelle Locke, who works at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital where eight of the injured are being treated, said those with severe chemical burns will require skin grafts.
Speaking with Radio New Zealand, Dr Locke said the patients – five of whom are critically injured – will be treated using skin from cadavers.
Millions of dollars worth of corpse skin has been flown in from the US and Australian to meet the demand.
SKIN OF THE DEAD
Dr Locke said: “The cadaver skin is only temporary because it’s not matched to the patient.
“In the same way you couldn’t do an organ donation to someone who wasn’t matched to you, you can’t put someone else’s skin on it and leave it on forever.
“In the burns situation, we use that cadaver skin almost as a biological dressing, and it usually will stay in place for up to two weeks.
“It keeps that area dressed and healthy.
Victims who died on White Island
- Richard Aaron Elzer, 32, from Australia
- Barbara Jean Hollander, 49, from US
- Berend Lawrence Hollander, 16, from US
- Matthew Robert Hollander, 13, from US
- Martin Berend Hollander, 48, from Australia
- Julie Richards, 47, from Australia
- Jessica Richards, 20, from Australia
- Krystal Eve Browitt, 21, from Australia
- Tipene Maangi, 24, from New Zealand
- Zoe Ella Hosking, 15, from Australia
- Gavin Brian Dallow, 53, from Australia
- Karla Michelle Mathews, 32, from Australia
- Jason David Griffiths, 33, from Australia
- Kristine Elizabeth Langford, 45, from Australia
- Anthony James Langford, 51, from Australia
- The two people missing are:
- Winona Jane Langford, 17, from Australia
- Hayden Bryan Marshall-Inman, 40, from New Zealand
“If we needed to replace it with fresh cadaver skin, or if they’ve got areas of unburnt skin that have healed, we can harvest the skin from that again and do some more grafting.”
The doctor, who is a plastic surgery consultant, said some of the victims were so badly injured they have not regained consciousness – despite the eruption happening over a week ago.
Thirteen of those injured were flown to hospitals in Sydney and Melbourne while the rest are in intensive care units in New Zealand.
Dr Locke said: “At the moment, many of them have not yet woken up.
“They’ve got injuries to the lungs and airways as well that are a bit different than we’ve seen before.”
At the moment, many of them have not yet woken up
Dr Locke
Meanwhile, the White Island volcano continues to spew gas at temperatures of at least 200 degrees Celsius.
The official death toll from the eruption on White Island, also known by its Maori name of Whakaari, has risen to 16.
Two people whose bodies are believed to be in the waters around the island are still officially listed as missing.
Many of those killed and injured were Australians on a day tour from the Royal Caribbean Cruises ship, the 16-deck Ovation of the Seas.
