Ghent University Hospital has provided more details about the victim of the fatal Swiss bar fire, who was admitted to the burns centre on Saturday. The victim is a boy in his late teens. Belgium is treating seven injured at one of several burns centres. In Ghent, surgeons are using an enzyme from the stem of the pineapple to treat the burns.
Ghent University Burns Centre treats victim of fatal Swiss fire with pineapple enzymes
Colin Clapson
Published:
‘After the first 48 hours, we get a clear picture of the patient's situation,’ says Professor Karel Claes of the burns centre at UZ Ghent, Ghent's University Hospital. ‘We always have to wait and see what condition people are in when they arrive. But since the injured have been brought to Belgium, we suspect that they are stable for the time being.’
‘These are very young people, so they usually don't have an extensive medical history. We then consult with intensive care specialists to determine how to start treatment. First, we need to assess the extent of the burns and, above all, see how deep the wounds are. That is what will happen now and in the coming days.’
The young patient being treated at the burns centre in Ghent is currently on a ventilator. ‘This means that we cannot speak with the patient himself. So we are in close contact with his family and consult them about which treatments we will apply to the various burns,’ says Karel Claes.
Use of an enzyme based on the stem of a pineapple
To prevent infection, severely burned tissue is removed as quickly as possible. This can be done surgically, but at the Ghent burns centre, surgeons use an enzyme from the stem of the pineapple.
‘The treatment is called NexoBrid, which is actually a powder based on the pineapple stem. It contains very effective enzymes that act very selectively on the burned skin. This means that all the badly burned skin is removed while all the healthy skin is preserved. This makes us more selective than, for example, other techniques involving a scalpel, as was the case in the past.’
By using the enzyme, fewer scars remain. "Fewer, but also better scars, because we retain more healthy skin and therefore there is more elasticity. We actually see that we need to do fewer skin transplants, because many parts of the burnt skin can heal on their own, up to 40%. And we also see that the scars we do have are of better quality. "
Treatment takes months
All patients who are in a burns centre in Switzerland after the New Year's Eve fire are undergoing a long recovery process.
‘We are talking about several weeks or several months, depending on how well the patient recovers. In this case, I suspect that we will probably be working intensively with these burn patients for two to three months.’
‘First, the burn must be reconstructed, and then the aftercare process and psychological support will begin. The latter will take at least a year or longer.’