Existing methods and processing for sterilising tissues are proving inadequate in many instances. Infections have been transmitted from the graft to the recipient and in the USA the Centre for Disease Control and other regulatory bodies have drawn attention to the need for a reliable end sterilisation method which does not damage the functionality of the final tissue. Safety of surgical allografts is, therefore, a major concern due to microbial and viral contamination of tissues which is now a problem even in the most sophisticated centres. The Presidents of the main Professional Association of Tissue Banks; American, European and Latin American met in Vienna to review the situation and concluded that the time was opportune to organise an international high level expert meeting, which would identify the best method of using radiation technology to assist in the production of safe tissue allografts Sterilisation of biological tissues with ionising radiations provides the information on this subject presented at an international meeting in Wales, supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency. New methods of protecting the tissues were presented which at the same time allow the use of sufficiently high doses of ionising radiations to inactivate invading organisms. A Code of Practice for the Radiation Sterilisation of Tissues was evaluated and the outcome and the full Code is included in this volume, as well as explorations of all of the methodologies used in the field. Sterilisation of biological tissues with ionising radiations is the only volume of its kind and as such is an invaluable source of information for those working in tissue banks, transplant surgeons and the safety regulators. High-quality papers highlighting the most recent developments in this important area Includes the full code of practice for the radiation sterilisation of tissues Edited by a highly respected team of experts

Existing sterilization processes have proven to be inadequate in many instances. Microbial and viral contamination of tissues leads to major safety concerns involving surgical allografts. Sterilization of Biological Tissues with Ionizing Radiation provides information on the issues presented at an international meeting in Wales, supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency. It includes a Code of Practice for the Radiation Sterilization of Tissues with an evaluation of the code and its outcome. This book presents all of the methodologies used in the field and outlines new methods of protecting tissues that allow the use of high doses of ionizing radiations to inactivate invading organisms.

Recommendations and guidelines for the safe use of ionizing radiation as a sterilization procedure for tissue allografts. The recommendations were produced by the IAEA with the help and approval of the main professional associations of tissue banks in Europe, Latin America and the USA and by experts in all aspects of radiosterilization and transplantation procedures. The code of practice covers the recommended qualifications of the tissue bank facilities, the tissue donors, the tissue processing and preservation procedures, and the maintenance of validation of the pre-sterilization and sterilization processes. Also covered are the quality, safety and clinical application of the tissue allografts, documentation and certification procedures, management and control issues, establishing a sterilization dose and worked examples.

This important book discusses the need for gamma irradiation in the processing of tissue allografts. With particular emphasis on tissue banking in the Asia-Pacific region, it covers a wide range of issues in tissue banking, including the basic science of radiation, quality control of the irradiation process, and clinical applications of irradiated bone grafts and amnions.A compulsory textbook for the well-regarded Singapore-based IAEA/NUS Diploma Course in Tissue Banking, it is also a useful guide for tissue bankers in establishing quality systems in their banks. Whether they be tissue banking students, tissue graft producers, radiation scientists, or transplantation surgeons, readers of this book will discover the latest developments in this exciting interdisciplinary field.