Tissue and corneal donation and transplantation in the UK

Abstract

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) was established in 2005 as a Special Health Authority when the National Blood Authority and UK Transplant merged. This helped to bring tissue banking and organ transplantation services under one umbrella organization. This merger means that ~!95% of all deceased donors (whether tissue, organ or both) are now facilitated by one organization. NHSBT Tissue Services is the largest tissue establishment in the UK, and is a multi-tissue bank that specializes in the consent, retrieval, processing, storage, and dispatch of donated tissue coordinated from a purpose built, state-of-the-art tissue bank in Liverpool. Tissue donations can come from either tissue-only donors or solid organ donors who also donate tissue. Annually there are ~450 multi-tissue donors and 2500 eye donors in the UK, resulting in many thousands of transplants, including 3564 cornea transplants in 2010-2011. The separation of tissue- and organ-specific donors is largely artificial, and while organ transplantation can be life-saving, tissue transplantation can also have a dramatic effect on a patient's quality of life. It is hoped that all donors, both organ and tissue, will be recognized for the gift they make to society after their death.

Deceased tissue donor serology and molecular testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses: a lack of cadaveric validated tests

“…Current organ procurement and transplantation network (OPTN) policy mandates that, at minimum, organ donors are screened for active and latent infections with bacterial cultures of blood, urine and sputum, and the following serologic tests: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and -2 antigen and antibody, syphilis antibody, cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody, Epstein Barr virus (EBV) antibody, hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (Brasil 2008(Brasil , 2009Gaum et al 2012;Howard et al 2005; Organ procurement and transplantation network 2013; Theodoropoulos et al 2013). In Brazil, Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO's) evaluate all potential deceased organ donors for HIV-1 and -2 antibody, human t cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-1 and -2 antibody, HCV antibody, HBcAb and HBsAg, chagas and syphilis antibody (Brasil 2009).…”

Impact of telephone consent and potential for eye donation in the UK: the Newcastle Eye Centre study

“…1 Gaum et al 2 estimated that 5000 corneas per year are required for transplantation in the UK; however, only~3500 per year of corneal transplants were performed over the last decade, highlighting the continual significant shortage and need for improvement in eye donation. 2 Organ and tissue donation is an extremely complex subject. 3,4 Various factors have been implicated to influence the donation rate, including the presence of presumed consent system, level of public awareness and education, number of transplant programs or organisations available in the community, donor factors, next-of-kin factors, religious view, and others.…”

Knowlegde and willingness to donate eye among medical doctors in delta state

“…In United Kingdom only 10% of people on the national Organ Donor Register are unwilling to donate their cornea. 18 Willingness to donate was significantly associated with decreasing age and male. The sample size of females in this study was small to determine this association.…”

“…In United Kingdom the median age of eye only donors was 70-80 years while in United States it is 40-50years. 18 The age of the donor contributes to the quality and usability of the cornea 18…”