Some people having a lung transplant on the NHS will receive a skin patch graft from their donor too as a way of spotting organ rejection sooner.
Rejection could show as a rash on the donated skin patch, say experts, allowing early treatment to stop problems escalating.
The trial, by University of Oxford and NHS Blood and Transplant, will enrol 152 patients in England.
It follows earlier success with some other transplant patients.
I want to know who first came up with this good idea! It seems like it could be used for all kinds of internal transplants, as a “canary in the coal mine” for rejection problems. And it’s relatively safe and simple. Of course they’ll have to study how well it tracks with the situation in the organ.
That’s pretty neat actually.
Oh great, now I’m having trouble breathing and my arm feels itchy. Cool idea, though.
