Man with severe burns receives a fish skin graft and the result is rather strange (PHOTO)

A man suffered such severe burns that he needed a skin graft. What was used for his operation is almost like it came straight out of a film. The use of non-human parts for transplants has been used before.

Indeed in 2022, a man had a heart transplant and the surgeons replaced his with the one of a pig. Sadly, the patient died two months later, it is not clear what caused the patient to die, whether the transplant failed or if it was other problems.

The kind of transplant that a young Brazilian had was less risky and had been done before with successful results.

Burned after an explosion

If the result can seem quite stylish, we imagine that this young Brazilian of 23 years would have preferred not to have resorted to it. The photos speak for themselves, the patient has severely burned his arm following a violent explosion, to the point that his skin has almost completelymelted.

In a study published in the Journal of Surgical Case Reports, they testify

A 23-year-old male patient, with no comorbidities, arrived at our burn treatment center after a thermal injury caused by contact with flames from a gunpowder explosion.

They continue

Superficial partial thickness burns were present in his right upper limb and deep partial thickness burns were present in his left upper limb.

A fish skin xenograft

Faced with the extent of the wounds, the doctors had no choice but to opt for the fastest solution. Thus, after having anaesthetized the young man, and completely sterilized the skin of a Tilapia, which is the species of fish used for his xenograft

As the doctors explain,

Tilapia skin has non-infectious microbiota, high amounts of type I collagen, and similar morphological structure to human skin, so it has been suggested as a potential xenograft for the management of burn wounds.

Convincing results

Don't worry, its use will not harm the sustainability of the species. Classified as an invasive species, it is considered to be of 'least concern' by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

The patient then kept his graft for several weeks. By the 17th day, the skin had largely healed. For even deeper burns, the young man had to keep his fish skin for several more weeks.

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

Journal of Surgical Case Reports: 'Innovative treatment using tilapia skin as a xenograft for partial thickness burns after a gunpowder explosion'