CTBS Tissue Recovery 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a donor evaluation, which of the following findings from the physical assessment would MOST likely disqualify musculoskeletal tissue recovery?
- Presence of a well-healed surgical scar on the abdomen
- Active osteomyelitis in the long bones (Correct answer)
- History of a healed fracture with hardware removed
- Prior joint replacement in the contralateral limb
Correct answer: Active osteomyelitis in the long bones
Active osteomyelitis represents an active bone infection that would contaminate recovered tissue and is a contraindication to musculoskeletal recovery.
Question 2: What is the purpose of placing a bone recovered from a donation in an antibiotic soak solution during processing?
- To preserve mineral content of the bone
- To reduce bioburden and potential microbial contamination (Correct answer)
- To enhance osteoinductive properties
- To prevent freezer burn during cryopreservation
Correct answer: To reduce bioburden and potential microbial contamination
Antibiotic soak solutions reduce surface bioburden on recovered bone, lowering the risk of microbial contamination prior to final processing and sterilization.
Question 3: Which of the following BEST describes the role of the 'recovery coordinator' at the time of tissue procurement?
- Performing serological testing on donor blood
- Coordinating consent, evaluation, scheduling, and documentation of the recovery (Correct answer)
- Surgically excising tissue from the donor
- Contacting recipient transplant teams for matching
Correct answer: Coordinating consent, evaluation, scheduling, and documentation of the recovery
The recovery coordinator manages the administrative and logistical aspects of tissue recovery including consent, donor evaluation, scheduling, and documentation.
Question 4: A tissue recovery team arrives at the hospital morgue and finds the donor body has been refrigerated at 4°C for 18 hours since asystole. Is musculoskeletal tissue recovery still appropriate?
- No; refrigeration time exceeds 12-hour limit
- Yes; if total time since asystole is within AATB acceptable limits for refrigerated donors (Correct answer)
- Yes; refrigerated donors have no ischemia time limits
- No; morgue refrigeration disqualifies all tissue types
Correct answer: Yes; if total time since asystole is within AATB acceptable limits for refrigerated donors
AATB standards allow musculoskeletal tissue recovery within defined total post-asystole time limits when the body has been refrigerated, typically up to 24 hours.
Question 5: Which aseptic technique principle is MOST critical when making incisions during tissue recovery in a non-sterile morgue environment?
- Using sterile instruments and maintaining a sterile field throughout the procedure (Correct answer)
- Using standard surgical soap scrub only
- Opening all instrument packages at the start of the case
- Working as quickly as possible to minimize exposure time
Correct answer: Using sterile instruments and maintaining a sterile field throughout the procedure
Using sterile instruments and maintaining a sterile field are foundational aseptic technique principles to minimize microbial contamination of recovered tissue.
Question 6: Which of the following blood tests is required to assess donor eligibility for tissue donation under FDA 21 CFR Part 1271?
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- NAT testing for HIV, HCV, and HBV (Correct answer)
- Blood glucose and HbA1c
- Thyroid function panel
Correct answer: NAT testing for HIV, HCV, and HBV
FDA requires nucleic acid testing (NAT) for HIV, HCV, and HBV as part of the mandatory infectious disease testing for tissue donor eligibility.
Question 7: When recovering eye tissue, who is typically responsible for enucleation of the globes?
- Certified tissue recovery technician trained in ocular recovery (Correct answer)
- Ophthalmologist only
- Funeral home director
- Hospital pathologist
Correct answer: Certified tissue recovery technician trained in ocular recovery
Eye banks train and certify tissue recovery technicians to perform enucleation or corneoscleral rim excision according to established protocols.
CTBS Tissue Recovery 4
During a donor evaluation, which of the following findings from the physical assessment would MOST likely disqualify musculoskeletal tissue recovery?