Are Donor Tissue and Grafts Safe?
Are Donor Tissue and Grafts Safe?Donor tissue is used for many different orthopedic procedures. Samples that come from cadavers are obtained from deceased individuals who have agreed to have specific parts of their body donated for medical need. These donor tissues are called allograft tissues. After obtaining and sterilizing the allograft tissues, they are sent to hospitals for implantation. Determining the safety of these allograft tissues is a concern for doctors and patients.Answer: We know that the chance of developing infection as a result of disease transmission from an allograft implanted is exceedingly low. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there have been 63 recorded cases of disease transmission as a result of allograft transplant over a 10-year period from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. Because approximately 1.5 million allograft implants are performed each year, there is approximately a risk of 1 in 120,000 chance of infection as a result of disease transmissi
