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Focus on Quality:
Cranial Bone Flap Processing Continuing Education Program Offered
LifeNet Health, in affiliation with Pfiedler Enterprises, now offers a Continuing Education Program (1 credit) for perioperative nurses, surgical technologists, and other health care professionals who are interested in learning more about the clinical implications and applicable regulations regarding processing of autologous cranial bone flaps in the hospital setting versus outsourcing to an accredited tissue bank.
Every year in the United States, approximately 30,000 people suffer traumatic brain injuries that require the removal of a cranial bone flap, a life-saving procedure to relieve the pressure of brain swelling. In the operating room (OR) at the time the cranial bone flap is removed, there are several options for handling it. These options are:
• Discarding it – this will result in the need for a synthetic implant, creating the problems of lack of integration, concerns of immunologic response, supply issues related to obtaining the needed implant in time, and the associated higher costs. In addition, given the option, patients may prefer that their own bone be replaced over a synthetic implant option.
• Saving it via freezing – freezer storage is often less than optimal due to compliance with changing AATB, Joint Commission, and other agency regulations, potential misplacement of tissue, and patient labeling errors.
• Saving it via subcutaneous implantation – this method is also less than optimal because it increases procedure time, and cost, as well as the risk for complications.
• Save via in-house processing – this method may also be less than optimal because of the regulatory implications, as we will review, and also the lack of validation processes, leading to potentially detrimental patient effects.
• Saving it via outsourcing for reimplantation - this method involves outsourcing autograft processing and storage to an accredited tissue bank. Read more…
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