Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026
Establishment of a Clinic-based Biorepository
Published on: May 29, 2017
Establishing a national network for skin procurement: Overview and experience at National Skin Bank of Taiwan
Shih-Wei Yang1, Chih-Hsin Wang2, Juin-Hong Cherng3
1Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-service General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Burn Center, Department of Surgery and Department of Critical Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; National Skin Bank of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan.
Aims:
Treating severe burn injuries is still an intractable issue despite significant advances in clinical practice guidelines of burn care. When autologous skin grafts are not available immediately, skin allografts are considered the cornerstone of burn wound coverage. This paper describes how Taiwan achieved skin allograft self-sufficiency after 2020 and shares our experience of building standard operating procedures for the Taiwan skin bank.
Methods:
The standard practices of the Taiwan skin bank were demonstrated. We reviewed skin donors (n = 145) between January 2019 and December 2024. Skin allograft characteristics (size, and bacteriological and mycological results) were collected and analyzed. The annual inventory amount was calculated.
Results:
From January 2020 to December 2024, 107 (79.25%) were male and 28 (20.75%) were female. The donors' ages ranged from 17 to 75 years, with the highest proportion (46.66%) falling within the 45-65 years old age group. The total surface area of harvested skin was 499,231 cm2. The total loss amount during skin processing was 67,565 cm2. The total storage amount was 431,666 cm2. The bacteriological results revealed 12.88% average infection rate. The average annual skin storage amount increased from 27,345 cm2 to 86,333 cm2 annually, and achieved self-sufficiency after 2020.
Conclusion:
Due to limited skin allografts during the large-scale burn emergencies of 2015, we established national skin bank and implemented domestic collaboration for skin procurement. Taiwan achieved skin allograft self-sufficiency after 2020.
