Living donor bone bank: Costa Rican experience

Abstract

Aim: The use of bone grafts is a common practice in orthopedic surgeries. However, the daily problem in traumatology is the limited access to adequate bone grafts. These grafts provide mechanical stability in the affected area of the bone, as well as repair and regeneration of weaknesses through osteoinductive, osteogenic and osteoconductive properties. The main objective of this report is to provide information about the experiences and the importance of establishing a Bone Bank in Costa Rica.

Method: all relevant information was gathered to provide a brief overview of the establishment of a Bone Bank in Costa Rica. First, legal issues were taken into consideration; followed by the definition of the donor exclusion criteria according to international standards. Potential donors were defined as all patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgeries. In order to select the right donors, blood samples from all potential donors were tested for transmittable diseases. Bone tissues were obtained in the operating room to be processed later, under strict standardized conditions. Once the tissues were processed, allografts were stored at -80°C until the transplantat procedures were carried out.

Results: Between 2016 and 2019, the bone bank had a total of 69 donors and 258 bone allograft recipients, all of them were patients at the Trauma Hospital.

Conclusion: The establishment of the bone bank in Costa Rica has been a challenge for the National Insurance Institute (INS). The goal is to make the Bone Bank available to the medical community in general, in order to strengthen the tissue donation and transplant network in Costa Rica.