title: Influence of postmortem time on the outcome of blood cultures among cadaveric tissue donors.
abstract: Tissue banks provide tissues of human cadaver donors for transplantation. The maximal time limit for tissue retrieval has been set at 24 h postmortem. This study aimed at evaluating the evidence for this limit from a microbiological point of view. The delay of growth in postmortem blood cultures, the identification of the species isolated and clinical/environmental factors were investigated among 100 potential tissue donors. No significant difference was found in the rate of donors with grown blood cultures within (25/65=38%) compared with after (24/65=37%) 24 h of death. Coagulase-negative staphylococci and gastro-intestinal microorganisms were isolated within and after 24 h of death. Two factors--antimicrobial therapy and "delay before body cooling"--were significantly inversely related with donors' blood culture results. From a microbiological point of view, there is no evidence for avoiding tissue retrieval among donors after 24 h of death.
authors: Research Foundation-Flanders, Egmontstraat 5, 1000, Brussels, Belgium.
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Saegeman
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Verhaegen
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Lismont
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Verduyckt
authors: T
authors: T
authors: De Rijdt
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Ectors
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D002102:Cadaver; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors