Know More about Organ Donation - Bone Transplant

Know More about Organ Donation - Bone Transplant

Types of bone transplant

  • Autograft

    • Bone graft is removed from a living donor and re-used on the same person
  • Allograft

    • Bone graft is removed from a living or deceased donor
    • Bone allograft is used in skeletal reconstruction of long bone and femoro / patellar joint defects, revision of traumatic bone loss and after tumour resection
    • Bone allograft is sterilised by gamma irradiation and stored at -80°C for use within 5 years, or by freeze-drying method and stored for long-term use
Common conditions requiring bone transplant
  • Bone fusion – donated bone can stimulate bone living cells to make bone grow and connect together (e.g. metal implantation for patients with scoliosis)

  • Bone defect restoration – donated bone can restore bone tissue defects (e.g. after benign tumour resection or artificial joint replacement)

  • Bone defect reconstruction – donated bone can reconstruct and fix bone defects (e.g. after bone resection due to malignant tumour)

Criteria for deceased bone donor
  • Aged between 16 and 60
  • Meet the general criteria for deceased organ / tissue donation
  • Donation within 12 hours after cardiac death
  • Hepatitis carriers not good for bone donation
  • No severe infection or infectious diseases
  • No history of continuous steroid treatment
  • Not a long-term bedridden patient