Tissues are dispatched in agreement with surgeons for use in elective or emergency situations. The surgeon contacts TTBF personnel directly and establishes the ideal tissue for the patient in question. Once the type of tissue has been identified, the distribution process takes place following the certified procedure.
Tissues can be sent to the surgeon:
• thawed and transported at temperatures ranging from +20C to +100C.
Frozen tissues are carefully thawed under sterile conditions and delivered to the operating theatre ready for use. The tissues travel in certified containers, or shippers, at a guaranteed controlled temperature range of +40C /+100C. On arrival and until they are implanted, they must be preserved in compliance with the accompanying instructions. Thawed tissue has a shelf life of seven days.
• Frozen at -80°C and transported in dry ice.
When frozen tissue is sent from TTBF, the recipient hospital must store it until use in certified freezer units at a temperature of -80°C,. Frozen tissue must be used within 2 months of shipment. Bone tissue may also be preserved at temperatures ranging between -20°C and -30°C and has the same shelf life of 2 months. If preserved at -80°C, bone tissue can be stored for five years.
Correct preservation of the homograft is the responsibility of the user facility, which must promptly communicate how the tissue has been used by completing the Traceability Record sent with the tissue.
The TTBF Tissue Bank is open round-the-clock ready to deal with emergencies.
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