title: Impact of eye bank lamellar tissue cutting for endothelial keratoplasty on bacterial and fungal corneoscleral donor rim cultures after corneal transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if the lamellar cut of donor tissue for endothelial keratoplasty (EK) by an eye bank facility is associated with a change in the prevalence of positive bacterial or fungal donor rim cultures after corneal transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review was conducted of bacterial and fungal cultures of donor rims used for corneal transplantation at a tertiary eye care center from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2008, with tissue provided by a single eye bank. The cases were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 ("no-cut") included keratoplasty procedures in which a lamellar cut was not performed. Group 2 ("precut") included EK procedures in which a 4-hour period of prewarming of tissue followed by a lamellar cut was performed in the eye bank before tissue delivery to the operating surgeon.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 351 donor rim cultures in group 1 and 278 in group 2. Bacterial cultures were positive in 30 donor rims (8.5%) in group 1 and 13 (4.7%) in group 2 (P = 0.058). Positive bacterial cultures were not associated with any postoperative infections. Fungal cultures were positive in 8 donor rims (2.3%) in group 1 and 7 (2.5%) in group 2 (P = 1.0). Positive fungal cultures were associated with 2 cases (13.3%) of postoperative fungal infections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corneal donor tissue can be precut for EK by trained eye bank personnel without an increased risk of bacterial or fungal contamination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Rauen
authors.forename: Kenneth M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Goins
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Sutphin
authors.forename: Anna S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kitzmann
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Wagoner
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003315:Cornea / Q000382:microbiology*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D057111:Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty; D005125:Eye Banks; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012590:Sclera / Q000382:microbiology*; D013048:Specimen Handling; D014019:Tissue Donors