NZ volcano tragedy: 120m of skin for grafts ordered from US

An astonishing 120 square metres of skin is being flown in to NZ for urgently needed grafts to treat the 29 White Island victims.

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo provided by Lillani Hopkins, shows the eruption of the volcano on White Island off the coast of Whakatane, New Zealand. (Lillani Hopkins via AP, file)

An astonishing 120 square metres of skin is being flown in to New Zealand for urgently needed grafts to treat the 29 White Island victims receiving intensive care in burns units across the country.

One Australian patient in Wellington was due to be transported home late on Tuesday to Sydney by NZ special air ambulance. Up to 10 more patients were due to be repatriated by Australian Defence Force aircraft and transported to burns units in Sydney and Melbourne.

Three RAAF aircraft were deployed to Christchurch overnight, with a team of specialist aircrew and medical equipment on board.

The skin was ordered from the US to treat horrific burns suffered by survivors of New Zealand’s volcanic eruption on Monday. Other medical supplies from Australia include skin graft donations from Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria and the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Peter Watson revealed the high demand for skin in a media conference at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital, the nation’s biggest burns unit.

Every survivor is now being treated in one of NZ’s four specialist burns units; 11 at Middlemore, eight in Christchurch, six at Waikato and four at Hutt Valley.

The number of people killed by the White Island eruption has risen to six, with one patient at Middlemore succumbing to injuries. Eight others are presumed to have perished in the blast that has shocked New Zealand and the world.

“We currently have supply but are urgently sourcing additional supplies to meet the demand addressing temporary skin grafts,” Dr Watson said. “We anticipate we will require an additional 1.2 million square centimetres of skin for the ongoing needs of patients.

“These supplies are coming from the US and the order has been placed … Our surgical teams … have been working around the clock non-stop to expedite the initial surgical treatment of the patients,” he said. “This is just the start of a very long process that for some will last several months.”

Twenty-two of the injured remain on airway support to assist their breathing.

Dr Watson confirmed the majority of victims are severely injured with more than 30 per cent of burns. “We have one or two with up to 90 per cent burns – we are hoping they will survive.”

The nature of the burns was complicated by gases and chemicals in the eruption, requiring more rapid treatment than for thermal-only burns. He said hospital staff have been operating through the night due to the number of patients and severity of the burns.

Dr Watson said repatriating Australian patients will help New Zealand hospitals cope. It will also ensure those who are safe to travel can be reunited with families. “The health system is set up to manage disasters and emergencies – we are equipped to deal with this,” he said. “We want to acknowledge and thank hospital staff across the country for working tirelessly and continuing to do so across the coming weeks and months.”