A man who suffered life-threatening burns over 95 per cent of his body has been saved by a skin transplant from his identical twin in a world-first operation.
Known only as Franck, 33, he received skin grafted from his brother Eric’s skull, back and thighs.
Franck, who suffered severe injuries in a burns accident at work, was admitted to hospital in September last year and endured around 12 operations over four-and-a-half months.
Franck, 33, has received skin grafted from his brother Eric’s skull, back and thighs
The operation, which was performed at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, was the first twin-on-twin skin transplant to cover such a large area of the body.
Record-breaking transplant
Receiving a transplant from a genetically identical twin eliminates the risk of the recipient’s body rejecting ‘foreign’ tissue from an unrelated donor.
Skin transplants from burn cases usually involve the skin of a deceased donor, with such tissue typically being rejected within weeks.
This few-week window usually allows enough time for new skin to grow or to be harvested from elsewhere on the patient’s body.
Skin transplants from burn cases usually involve the skin of a deceased donor, with such tissue typically being rejected within weeks
Twin-on-twin skin transplants have been performed before, however, this was the first to cover such a large surface area, according to Maurice Mimoun, a surgeon at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, where the procedure was carried out.
A previous record for such transplants involved a case where approximately 68 per cent of the patient’s body was burned.
‘His face has healed well’
Franck was admitted to hospital in September last year after being burned in a work accident.
The first graft from his twin was done a week later, followed by around 12 further procedures.
Four-and-a-half months after his admission, Franck left hospital for a rehabilitation centre.
Mr Mimoun told AFP: ‘He is at home with his partner, he can get on with his activities, his face has healed well.’