We are in the process of taking over the skin bank. We will stock all sorts of skin products right in the Blood Bank Lab. Is anyone else out there doing the same? If so, please share your experience with it.

Are you sure you want to become involved with tissue storage? This opens your blood bank into many more questions both from the FDA and the AABB. Be prepared.

We keep skin in our lab as well. We have not had any problems with inspections as we are only storing and distributing. We do treat it like a blood product and receive it into our computer system, assign it to the patient and issue it along with a bag tag to be put in the chart.

Members of our institution will be giving a workshop on tissue banking at the AABB annual meeting. Remember that the Blood Bank is the best place to monitor appropriate storage of tissue and, we are also the best at tracking recipients. The AABB and the CAP have standards for tissue banking.

Tissue / bones are stored in a monitored OR freezer.

I worked with the OR to make sure that their freezer met compliance issues.

OR reports at the Transfusion Committee regarding any issues with tissues / bones-since the Tranfusion Medical Director must be envolved with the oversight of tissues according to AABB.