Low temperature organ preservation, blood vessels and the Human Tissue Act in 2007: impact and implications

The impact of the enactment of the Human Tissue Act is discussed in relation to procedures currently applied during cadaveric organ procurement for transplantation within the UK. The major effect has been to regulate the storage of blood vessels for use as accessory grafts during transplantation, where hypothermic preservation beyond 2 days has historically been practiced and now falls within the remit of the Act concerning storage of human tissues. The benefits and drawbacks of considering cryopreserved blood vessels in such situations are also debated.