Sara Netanyahu helps fireman get skin grafts

Fireman Danny Hayat who was burnt over 50% of body in Carmel fires received artificial skin grafts at Haifa hospital. Money for artificial skin - 150,000 euros - raised by prime minister's wife through Keren Hayesod

Ahiya Raved|Published: 12.12.10 , 08:21

The prime minister's wife raised the money – and the expensive artificial skin made it to Israel : On Thursday the skin was grafted onto the body of fireman Danny Hayat who was seriously burnt in the Carmel wildfire last week and who is suffering from burns on over 50% of his body.

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Netanyahu offered her support after it was revealed that the artificial skin, which is extremely expensive, was not available in Israel. She enlisted Keren Hayesod (The United Israel Appeal) to donate the funds, and through them raised 150,000 euros ($199,565) to purchase artificial skin for the operation which was carried out Thursday morning at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

"Integra – the artificial skin is a product that is parallel to the natural dermis (the body's second layer of skin)," said Professor Yehuda Ullman, Director of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Rambam.

Artificial skin - doesn't come cheap (Photo: Rambam Medical Center)

"Basically these are pieces of Collagen with a silicone layer on top. The pieces are put on top of the clean areas – where layers of the infected burnt skin have been carefully removed, and three weeks later, when the artificial skin has been accepted by the body, the silicone layer is removed and the patients own skin is grafted o top of the artificial skin."

The artificial skin is a costly medical product – a 20 cm piece costs 18 thousand euros ($24,000). It has an advantage over skin grafts from deceased donors – those grafts don't always 'take' and are rejected by the patient's body.

Artificial skin grafts are also carried out in cases where the patient is so badly burnt that there is no skin that can be removed from his body for grafts.