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Allograft FAQ's
What is an allograft?
Who donates bone and tissue allografts?
How are the bone and tissue recovered?
What happens after the donation?
How effective are allograft transplants?
Are tissue transplants subject to rejection as in
the case of organ transplants?
How is the donated tissue distributed?
What is an allograft?
An allograft is bone or soft tissue that is transplanted from one person to another. Transplanted bone, tendons, cartilage and skin are used extensively in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, as well as plastic, general and dental surgeries. In this country, over 900,000 allografts are transplanted each year.
- Athletes who need reconstructions of their knees usually choose allografts.
- Individuals suffering from back pain often choose allografts for long-term relief.
- Cancer patients receive allografts to fill bone voids following tumor surgery.
- Burn victims requiring skin grafting
These are just some of the ways allografts are used every day to dramatically improve people’s quality of life.
Who donates bone and tissue for
allografts?
The majority of donors were otherwise healthy and relatively young
people who died in accidents or from sudden illness such as heart attack
or stroke. Every donor is thoroughly screened and tested before donation
can take place. This screening includes comprehensive medical and social
histories, including high-risk behaviors that automatically eliminate
any possibility of donation. Individuals with any history of diseases
such as cancer, AIDS or Hepatitis or exposure to toxic substances are
immediately disqualified. Potential donors with histories of any condition that can affect the quality and long-term performance of the bone and/or tissue are also excluded, and all donations must be approved by MTF's Medical Director.
How are the bone and tissue recovered?
All MTF-supplied bone and soft tissue are recovered from donors in sterile environments like operating room settings by specially trained technicians.
MTF employs state-of-the-art recovery and processing techniques to maintain the aseptic condition (without contamination) of every tissue.
Donors are treated with dignity throughout the recovery process and remains are returned to families for final funeral arrangements.
What happens after the donation?
After recovery, every tissue is placed in quarantine and subjected to a battery of tests before it can be released to surgeons. MTF follows a strict quality assurance program to check and re-check every tissue for quality and safety.
Processing is performed in tightly controlled, aseptic environments (to prevent contamination) called Clean Rooms. A comprehensive series of processing, safety, and quality controls are required for every tissue prior to its release for transplantation.
How effective are allograft transplants?
For the most part, allografts are very effective. There are over 900,000
procedures performed every year involving allograft. There are cases where
the allografts don’t perform as expected. This can be caused by a
variety of factors, including patient age, lifestyle, medical condition,
to name a few.
Are tissue transplants subject
to rejection as in the case of organ transplants?
No. Anti-rejection drugs are not required for the transplant recipient.
How is the donated tissue distributed?
After recovery and processing, the tissue is prioritized as follows:
- The hospital where the donation was recovered
- The geographical area within the Organ Procurement Organization where the hospital is located
- Any other hospital where there is a need
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