A badly burned boy in Sicily has
resumed his normal life as a four-year-old after innovative
surgery to heal his injuries using skin from his father, medical
sources said Tuesday.
The boy, who had severe burns over 60% of his body, was treated
in the major burns unit of Catania hospital.
But he has returned home having achieved clinical recovery,
thanks to the timely and integrated treatment provided to him
and the use of advanced and innovative techniques, including
that of having received "portions" of healthy skin from his
father.
"The first step," explained Rosario Ranno, director of the
Cannizzaro major burns center, "was to perform an enzymatic
escarolysis, a modern method that allows us to remove all the
burned skin without surgery and without blood loss.
"We also used latest-generation dermal substitutes, which helped
reduce the risk of infections and stabilize the hemodynamic
conditions of the little patient.
"To promote healing, a skin transplant was performed taken from
the father, exploiting biological compatibility to regenerate
the largest areas of damaged tissue".
In addition, the Meek technique, an innovative skin expansion
procedure, was also used in the treatment of the little one:
essentially, small fragments of Riccardo's healthy skin were
removed, cut into micro-grafts and then expanded 3 or 4 times,
to cover a much larger surface area than the available skin.
Thanks to this procedure, it was possible to optimize the areas
of healthy tissue of the child, further accelerating the healing
process.
"Our center," said Salvatore Giuffrida, general manager of
Cannizzaro, "has confirmed its role as a point of reference for
the treatment of burns in Central-Southern Italy and of
excellence at a national level.
"In 2024, more than 120 severe burn patients were hospitalized
and treated, some of whom came not only from Sicily but also
from Calabria, with significant active mobility".
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