Storage and Distribution

Human tissues do not have to be used immediately. They can be stored for a period of time until they are needed.

There are various methods for storing processed human tissues. Small tissues are stored in vacuum-sealed glass jars or plastic peel-packs at room temperature. Tissues preserved this way usually expire in three years. Larger tissues are frozen to minus eighty degrees Celsius and stored in special commercial freezers that maintain those temperatures.

When frozen tissues are stored at these temperatures, they can last for approximately five years.

Some of the cardiovascular tissues are cryopreserved and stored in a special liquid nitrogen cooled unit at minus 196 degrees Celsius.

Tissue will not be released until the final processing cultures are completed and all of the quality assurance information has been reviewed and signed off by the Processor’s Medical Director. Then the tissues can be distributed to hospitals and surgical centers.

Tissues recovered locally are prioritized for the Hartford area.

Also in This Section

Allograft vs. Autograft

A patient's own tissue - an autograft - can often be used for a surgical reconstruction procedure. Allograft tissue, taken from another person, takes longer to incorporate into the recpient’s body .

Tissue Donation

When a hospital patient dies and the expired patient meets tissue-donor criteria, the family may be asked if it is interested in tissue donation.

Tissue Processing

Once tissues are received, the processing organization stores the tissues in temperature controlled sub-zero freezers while donor medical history and the results of cultures and blood tests are reviewed.

Tissue Tracking

The American Association of Tissue Bank and Joint Commission Accredited Hospital Organization require that all human tissues must be able to be tracked from donor to recipient.