A simplified protocol for banking bone from surgical donors requiring a 90-day quarantine and an HIV-1 antibody test

The banking of femoral heads from patients who undergo total hip arthroplasty provides a valuable resource for orthopedic surgery. Quality assurance of the banked bone used in clinical procedures requires documented policies for screening, procuring, storing and distributing. Potential donors are screened at the time of donation for malignant disease, possible communicable disease, sepsis and high-risk life-styles. After negative culture results are confirmed and appropriate documentation has been completed, the bone is frozen at -70 degrees C. A quarantine period of 90 days follows. The donor is followed up 90 days or more postoperatively. At that time written consent is obtained for donation of the recovered tissue to the bone bank and for serology testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) antibody, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAG), hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) and syphilis, and the donor is rescreened for contraindications. This protocol meets or exceeds all existing standards. The combination of obtaining consent and serology testing at 90 days streamlines the logistics of banking bone from surgical donors.