The Cell Production Center at Lausanne University Hospital is working at full capacity to grow new skin for survivors of a deadly Swiss New Year’s bar fire as hospitals continue to treat dozens of patients with severe burns.
A January 1 fire at Le Constellation bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort killed 40 people, mostly teenagers, and injured 116 others. As of the weekend, 80 victims remained hospitalized in Switzerland and abroad.
“Action Focused”
“There’s a lot of emotion,” said Laurent Carrez, technical manager of the center’s pharmacy in Epalinges, near Lausanne.
“But for now we are focused on the event,” he told AFP.
“The priority is to help these patients as much as possible,” Carrez said, whether they are being treated in Switzerland or overseas.
Since the tragedy, the center, which operates the only leather manufacturing facility of its size in Europe, has been operating seven days a week, he added.
Increase in requests for lab-grown leather
Carrez said the center has already received 15 requests to grow skin for victims of the Crans-Montana fire — close to the 20 requests it typically handles in a year.
The device uses small samples of healthy skin from the burn victims themselves, reducing the risk of rejection.
“From 10 square centimeters of healthy skin, we are able to produce one to three batches of 2,600 square centimeters,” Carrez said, noting that is roughly equivalent to the surface area of a human back.
However, he explained that the lab-grown tissue does not contain hair or sweat glands.
Why lab-grown skin is critical
The center plays a vital role in cases of extensive burns, said Olivier Pantet, a specialist in severe burns at Lausanne University Hospital.
“When 50 to 60 percent of the body’s surface area is burned, we have to grow the skin in labs because we can’t do it simply using the remaining healthy skin,” Pantet said.
The Lausanne University Hospital is currently treating seven patients injured in the fire.
Inside the clean room
In sterile clean rooms, technicians recreate nutrient solutions in which skin cells are cultured to stimulate growth.
“So far, we’ve received biopsies from patients. We’ve collected and stored their cells,” Carrez said.
“We are about to begin the second phase, which is the most critical: the proliferation of keratinocyte tissue – the skin.”
This stage lasts about three weeks, during which the cells in the dishes multiply until they form layered tissue.
“At some point they stop growing and that’s when we know they’re ready,” Carrez said. “They have achieved their desired function and are ready to create the equivalent of skin.”
Once the skin grafts are mature, they must be applied within two days, which requires close cooperation with hospitals.
Risks of grafting and recovery
The success of skin grafts is not guaranteed.
“If 80 percent of the grafts take, we’re very happy – that’s an excellent result,” Pantet said.
While waiting for grafts, doctors can use airtight dressings, skin from deceased donors, or even fish skin to protect burned areas.
Pantet said many of the survivors suffered burns that are both extensive and deep. Patients are treated in rooms with high air humidity at a temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius with careful monitoring of hydration and body temperature.
After the transplant, doctors must master joint positioning with splints before patients begin the long rehabilitation process, he added.
The cause of the fire
Prosecutors believe the inferno began when champagne bottles laced with sparklers were lifted too close to the soundproofing foam on the bar’s basement ceiling.
The investigation into the disaster continues.
