Cranial Bone Flap Processing Continuing Education Program Offered

Dec 03, 2010

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, The 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, 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.

Removal of a cranial bone flap is increasingly performed in neurosurgery today as a therapeutic option for post-traumatic brain swelling or other causes of brain edema. Appropriate processing and storage of the autologous cranial bone flap are necessary for subsequent reimplantation and ultimately positive patient outcomes. Many hospitals save autologous cranial bone flaps through in-house processing, and therefore must comply with all current regulations, standards, and guidelines; as a result, in-house processing is often time-consuming and costly. For many facilities, outsourcing cranial bone flap processing is a viable, cost-effective alternative. The purpose of this continuing education activity is to provide an overview of the key considerations in the handling of cranial bone flaps in the hospital setting versus outsourcing to an agency accredited in the handling of explanted human tissue. The applicable federal regulations, accreditation standards, and professional recommended practices for cranial bone flap processing and storage will be reviewed. In-house processing methods and their associated inadequacies will be discussed. The clinical benefits of outsourcing cranial bone flap processing for patients as well as hospitals will be explored.

Contact a LifeNet Health bio-implant specialist for more information or to schedule a program.