Queensland Bone Bank
What Is A Bone Bank?
Bone is the second most commonly transplanted tissue, second only to blood. It has been estimated that between 200 and 300 thousand people worldwide receive bone transplants each year; more than 25 times the number of people who undergo kidney transplants and 100 times the number who undergo heart transplants.
Regional bone and tissue banks have been established in order to satisfy an ever increasing demand for bone tissue. The Queensland Bone Bank was first established in 1987. It is now the largest bone bank in Australia.
The Queensland Bone Bank is a non-profit organisation; partial funding is received from the Queensland Health through the Princess Alexandra Hospital. In addition to being responsible for retrieving and distributing bone tissue throughout Queensland and Australia, the Bank conducts studies to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of tissue transplants.
All staff working within the Bank are committed to the promotion of safe, efficient principles of bone and tissue banking. Promotion of public awareness regarding this and other tissue banking programs is of paramount importance.
Where Does Bone Come From?
Bone tissue retrieved by the Queensland Bone Bank comes from those donors who have expressed their willingness to donate in the event of death. Bone tissue is also retrieved from patients who require total hip replacement surgery, where the hip joint is replaced with a prosthesis.
Each donor undergoes the most thorough screening and testing techniques available. This process confirms their medical suitability for donation by identifying those potential donors with disqualifying medical conditions and diseases such as cancer, AIDS, hepatitis, so the transplant recipients can be assured of receiving a safe bone transplant.
All bone is retrieved by surgeons and specially trained technicians under sterile conditions – most commonly in a hospital operating room or mortuary. Our standards meet or exceed those of the Australian Orthopaedic Association, therefore, guaranteeing all bone supplied by the Queensland Bone Bank is of the highest quality currently available.
Why is transplant bone needed?
Bone transplantation is a rapidly growing and expanding field, and has a significant impact on improving the quality of life for recipients in need. Transplants can take the place of damaged bone growth into the affected area. Bone transplantation is commonly used in orthopaedic, neurosurgical and plastic surgery.
Some examples are:
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Many patients have bone loss as a result of injury. Transplant bone allows the surgeon to rebuild defects as a stage towards functional rehabilitation.
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Many patients with bone tumours face possible amputation. By using large bone transplants surgeons are often able to save the affected limb.
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Many patients require a second or even third revision of a total joint replacement. A lot of these people require transplanted bone to replace deficient bone tissue, thus allowing surgeons to rebuild joints that will allow adequate function.
What do you need to do to be a bone tissue donor?
While you are still alive you can choose to donate your bone tissue upon death. The most important thing to do is to talk to your family, partner and friends about organ and tissue donation. Let them know about your views on donation, and become aware of their views. In the event of your death, your next of kin is always the person contacted to find out what your wishes were in relation to donation. Formalise your decision by recording your decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
Contact Information
Queensland Transplant Tissue Services
Queensland Health Scientific Services Campus
39 Kessels Road
Coopers Plains QLD 4108
Telephone: 07 3121 2626
Facsimile: 07 3121 2633
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