SHARJAH // A maid who suffered third-degree burns covering 85 per cent of her body can see again after receiving pioneering surgery.
The 30-year-old Filipina maid sustained the injuries when a gas cylinder exploded in the kitchen while she was preparing food for her employers in Sharjah last month.
“Her eyelids were burnt and stuck to her lower lids, which rendered her blind,” said Dr Safwat Al Husaini, head of the burns and reconstructive surgery division in Al Qassimi Hospital.
The maid, who is still in a critical condition, received a procedure performed for the first time in the UAE.
Dr Al Husaini carried out the reconstructive surgery last week to replace the burnt skin on her eyelids. He said: “We used the Matriderm method — it’s a better way than the traditional method of patching of the burnt skin, especially in the facial area.
“It’s a new method that has up to a 100 per cent success rate, and the results were really good.”
Matriderm is a synthetic skin substitute, used in cases of severe burns. It reduces discolouration of the skin and decreases the chances of motor dysfunction due to shortage or shrinking of the skin.
The maid also suffered massive breathing problems after inhaling carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide during the accident, and she is also struggling to come to terms with the affect the blast will have on her life.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
