Tissue banking programmes in Europe

In Europe, organ centres such as Bio Implant Services (BIS) in cooperation with Eurotransplant, play an intermediary role from donation of tissue and organs to allocation and transplantation. They take responsibility for donor medical/safety screening and organize procurement. Tissue banks are autonomous and are responsible for tissue processing and preservation. Allocation of scarce tissues is performed according to rules set by committees of renowned experts in the field. Most frequently donated types of tissues are corneas, heart valves, bone and soft tissue and skin. In this article, optimal serological screening of the donor, and the banking of these tissues in Europe is reviewed in relation to clinical need and volume of transplantable tissues available, number of banks and their organisational level, methods of explantation, processing and preservation, quality standards and new developments.