Quality Assurance -DTBV

Quality and safety are uppermost in our mission and vision.  The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria is licensed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to retrieve, process, store and distribute human allograft tissue in Australia. 

A number of steps are in place to ensure that tissue obtained from the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria is of the highest quality and safety.  The following steps are undertaken with every tissue donor to ensure this:

• Assessment of condition of deceased person and review of medical records
• Social and medical history questionnaire with next-of-kin
• Serological testing of blood.
• Extensive microbiological analysis on tissue and solution samples taken throughout the retrieval and processing procedures
• Full autopsy is mandatory for tissue donors at the DTBV - this ensures that the donor did not have any diseases or disorders which would prevent them from donating tissue
• Review of all tests and findings by both a pathologist and scientist before being deemed available for transplant
• Utilisation report forms to be completed by surgeons following transplantation of tissue, so that recipients can be easily contacted if necessary  

Every step of the retrieval and processing of all tissue types is performed under sterile or aseptic conditions.  This means that the scientist retrieving or processing the tissue must scrub, gown and glove as is done with any surgical procedure, prior to touching any tissue.  All processing is performed under laminar flow cabinets to maintain tissue quality and sterility.

All tissue is treated with antibiotics throughout retrieval and processing, and all bone and other musculoskeletal tissue is irradiated at 25kGy prior to transplantation to ensure safety.  Bones are also x-rayed to ensure than no hidden bone disorders exist which would prevent the bones from being transplanted.