Logistical aspects of human surgical tissue management in a hospital setting

Many hospital transfusion services have assumed responsibility for the coordinated management of human allograft tissue. This overview summarizes logistical aspects of tissue management based on the experience of a centralized tissue service at a large academic hospital, in which tissue is stored in a location remote from patient care areas. Operational aspects include determination of which personnel classifications will perform the necessary functions, establishment and maintenance of the standing tissue inventory (including pros and cons of alternative approaches to inventory acquisition), and necessary considerations for making tissue available for surgical cases in the hospital. The nature of communications regarding tissue orders for individual surgical cases is discussed, as well as mechanisms for storage of tissue and transportation and delivery of tissue to the surgical suites. Finally, options for the disposition of tissue that has been dispensed from the tissue service but was not used during the surgical procedure are summarized. With attention to these details, a tissue service can provide reliable, high-quality tissue in a timely fashion.