title: Femoral head banking: NUH tissue bank experience.
abstract: National University Hospital Tissue Bank protocol follows guidelines recommended by the American Association of Tissue Banks and the European Association of Tissue Banks using donor selection criteria: medical history, clinical examination, chart review and laboratory tests for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, and specimen for culture/sensitivity tests. For living donors, repeat testing is performed for AIDS and hepatitis C approximately 180 days after procurement. Femoral heads are procured using the "sterile double jar technique" and stored at -80 degrees C. Our first study of 273 consecutive potential donors undergoing hemiarthroplasty from 1989 to 1994 showed that a high percentage (42.5%) was unsuitable for use. A second study involving 175 potential donors was conducted from 1995 to 2003 after hepatitis C screening was introduced. The bacterial contamination rates in both studies (3.5% and 5.7%) are low. The incidence of other diseases also are low: hepatitis B, 2.3% and syphilis, 1.8% in the first study and hepatitis B, 5.7%; hepatitis C, 0.6%; and syphilis, 5.1% in the second cohort. No cases of AIDS were reported in either study. By 2003, femoral heads were transplanted in 205 patients with a low complication rate of 2.9%.
authors.affiliation: National University Hospital Tissue Bank and Department of Orthopedic Surgery, National University of Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nather
authors.forename: Vikram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: David
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000379:methods; D001441:Bacteroides fragilis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000601:surgery; D005270:Femur Head / Q000637:transplantation*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013587:Syphilis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014015:Tissue Banks; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement