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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
1. Look for accreditation
Obtain tissue from an accredited provider, says Steven Gitelis,
MD, a specialist in orthopedic oncology and hip and knee replace-
ments at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago, Ill. The
American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) is the only accred-
iting body for sources of conventional tissue. "These are volun-
tary accreditations," says Scott A. Brubaker, CTBS, chief policy
officer at AATB in McLean, Va. "Banks seek accreditation, and it's
a lot to work toward." He suggests you ensure a bank is registered
with the FDA as a tissue establishment (
tinyurl.com/ly5yqfl
). Also
check that the bank is a state-licensed facility, if that's required by
local law, suggests the Joint Commission, the only accrediting
body with standards for safe tissue handling. Then check with the
AATB to search for accredited tissue banks that handle the type of
tissues you need (
aatb.org/accredited-bank-search
).
State licensure and permit is just one of the checkboxes ticked
by AATB inspectors, who assess much more than what the FDA
regulates. Mr. Brubaker discourages tissue banks from sharing
PDFs of their accreditation certificates, but many still do when
facilities ask for evidence of AATB approval. He suggests you
check the list of accredited banks on the AATB website. "There
are some that say they comply with AATB standards, but have no
proof that they've been inspected and accredited," says Dr.
Wilkins. "That's a very important distinction to make."
2. Know the source
Tissue is cultured for bacteria at the time of procurement, and
each bank has a different algorithm on how it treats and process-
es tissue, says Dr. Wilkins. "Most have a single pathway — the tis-
sue comes in and is decontaminated," he says. "Some banks go a
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