Background on the Incident
On September 10, a gas tanker carrying approximately 49,500 liters of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) overturned and exploded on Calzada Ignacio Zaragoza, near Puente de la Concordia, in Iztapalapa. The tank sustained a 40-centimeter gash, causing the gas to spread and leading to an explosion that expanded over nearly 180 meters. While some individuals lost their lives instantly, many more suffered injuries.
Introduction to the Aloinjerto Treatment
Some of the injured were transported to various healthcare facilities, including the Hospital General IMSS Bienestar Rubén Leñero. This hospital recently adopted a cutting-edge technology developed by the Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV) at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN): the aloinjerto de epidermis humana, or human epidermal allograft.
What is the Aloinjerto?
According to IMSS Bienestar, the aloinjerto de epidermis humana is a surgical material that promotes skin regeneration. This innovative biotechnological treatment was utilized for nine patients transferred to the Hospital General IMSS Bienestar Rubén Leñero.
“This procedure prepares the injured area of the patient to receive a graft or accelerate healing in the zone from which skin was taken for this procedure,” stated IMSS through a press release.
The aloinjerto cutáneo cultivado, or cultured skin allograft, facilitates skin recovery, reduces infection risk, accelerates healing, and enhances patients’ quality of life. It is applied to individuals with second-degree burns, chronic ulcers, or difficult-to-heal wounds, as well as patients with severe dermatological conditions.
How is it Formed?
The aloinjerto de epidermis humana is a laminar structure formed by cultivating human keratinocyte cells, the most abundant cells in the epidermis (the outer layer of skin) that produce keratin. Keratin is crucial for protecting the skin from pathogens and water loss, enabling the growth and multiplication of cells that will constitute the aloinjerto.
How is it Obtained?
The aloinjerto is obtained through in vitro cultivation of a stem cell line on a sterile, petroleum-coated fabric maintained intact by cryopreservation. This process freezes cells, tissues, or organisms at extremely low temperatures, preserving functionality and bilogical properties for up to 24 months at -70 degrees Celsius.
Moreover, it is manufactured according to Mexico’s Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-241-SSA1 for Good Manufacturing Practices for Medical Devices and the international standard ISO-13485 for Quality Management Systems for Healthcare Products.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the aloinjerto de epidermis humana? It’s a surgical material that promotes skin regeneration using cultured human keratinocyte cells.
- What conditions does it treat? It is used for second-degree burns, chronic ulcers, difficult-to-heal wounds, and severe dermatological conditions.
- How is it formed? The aloinjerto is a laminar structure created by cultivating human keratinocyte cells, which produce keratin essential for skin protection.
- How is it obtained? It’s produced through in vitro cultivation of stem cells on sterile fabric, preserved at -70 degrees Celsius to maintain functionality and bilogical properties for up to 24 months.
- What standards does its manufacturing follow? It adheres to Mexico’s NOM-241-SSA1 and the international standard ISO-13485 for Quality Management Systems for Healthcare Products.
