Benefits of Musculoskeletal Allograft Tissue Outweigh Risks

Patients need not be afraid of receiving allograft tissue transplants was the message during a media briefing held today at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' (AAOS) 70th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La.

"The risks from allografts are low and the benefits are impressively high," said Gary Friedlaender, MD chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Yale University School of Medicine and chair of the AAOS Tissue Banking Project Team. "However, it is imperative for safety reasons that the allograft come from a tissue bank following best known practices, such as those accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB)."

Over 800,000 grafts are performed in the United States each year with few complications. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported cases of bacterial infection occurring over several years; however some of these infections could have been caused by complications occurring from any surgical procedure, such as wound contamination or secondary infection through the blood stream of an operative site.

Allografts are specially processed human tissue donated for the express purpose of being transplanted to benefit the health of another person. They are most frequently used to accomplish spine fusions, improve the quality of bone in revision hip and knee replacement procedures, restore bone lost during injury or following removal of tumors, and to promote the healing of fractures. The use of an allograft eliminates the need for a second surgery site to recover an autograft, a graft taken from the recipient's own body, as well as the need to sacrifice a normal structure in one place for use in another location. This reduces the potential for complications arising from having an additional surgical procedure, and thereby results in less blood loss, less pain and a quicker recovery time.

The AATB provides accreditation and inspection of tissue banking organizations as well as certification of tissue banking personnel to ensure that tissue-banking activities being performed are consistent with AATB standards. There are 72 tissue banks accredited in the United States. The FDA has a proposed "Good Tissue Practice," rule similar to the AATB standards, and also inspects tissue processors. Dr. Friedlaender advises patients receiving a tissue graft to ask their doctor to confirm that the supplier is either AATB accredited, uses a FDA validated processing system, or has passed inspection by the FDA. "Doctors have a responsibility to know where their hospital or practice acquires allografts," said Dr. Friedlaender.

The 26,047-member American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org) or (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org ), is a not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for orthopaedic surgeons, allied health professionals and the public. An advocate for improved patient care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade (http://www.usbjd.org ), the global initiative in the years 2002-2011 to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research and improve people's quality of life. President Bush has declared the years 2002-2011 National Bone and Joint Decade in support of these objectives. The Academy's Annual Meeting is being held February 5-9, 2003, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La.