AATB BULLETIN - American Association of Tissue Banks

*AATB BULLETIN*
American Association of Tissue Banks
1320 Old Chain Bridge Road, Suite 450, McLean, VA, 22101
Telephone: (703) 827-9582 Fax: (703) 356-2198
January 23, 2007 No. 07-07
Page 1 of 2
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Designated Representatives
AATB-Accredited Tissue Banks
P. Robert Rigney, Jr., Esq., Chief Executive Officer
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Issues
Advisory Statement on Tissue Allografts
Citing the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), its Standards for Tissue
Banking and its Accreditation Program, the American Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons (AAOS) has issued an Advisory Statement recommending “…the use of
tissue from banks that are accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks.”
The Academy’s “Advisory Statement on the Use of Musculoskeletal Tissue Allografts”
was recently approved by its Board of Directors and can be downloaded at:
In its statement, AAOS states that:
http://www.aaos.org/about/papers/advistmt/1011.asp.
“…for appropriate patients, musculoskeletal allografts represent a
therapeutic alternative. These tissues should be acquired from facilities
that demonstrate compliance, use well-accepted banking methodology
and follow Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Good Tissue Practices.
The AAOS urges all tissue banks to follow rigorous national guidelines
and standards and recommends the use of tissue from banks that are
accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB).”
(Emphasis added.)
While the Academy recognizes that “the incidence of disease transference with
allografts is very low,” it does note that “careful donor screening and tissue processing

AATB Bulletin #07-07
January 23, 2007
Page 2 of 2
are crucial in order to minimize potential risk to the recipient.” As a result, the AAOS
said that it:
“…strongly favors on-site inspection and accreditation of tissue banks that
demonstrate compliance with appropriate standards. All tissue recovery
partners of AATB accredited banks are also subject to the same
standards, as required by FDA regulations.” (Emphasis added.)
The Academy commented that the AATB’s Standards and the FDA’s regulations “are
based on current scientific information” and the consensus of the professionals involved
in tissue banking, and that they “have become widely accepted and utilized.” In
addition, the AAOS stated:
“The use of such guidelines and standards best protect patients receiving
these allografts and, thereby, best serve the interests of patients and
orthopaedic surgeons.”
I hope that this information is helpful. If you have any questions or comments regarding
this, please contact the AATB office.
cc:
Board of Governors