California Transplant Services, Inc. adheres to the American Association of Tissue Bank (AATB) Standards and the regulations established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its production and distribution of allograft/autograft tissue. California Transplant Services, Inc. provides information on the product label and package insert that further describe the storage conditions for the various types of processes used to produce allograft/autograft tissue, and includes instructions to prepare the allograft prior to implantation. A Tissue Bank Technician who is certified by the American Association of Tissue Banks is available 24 hours to assist with questions about our allografts and autograft tissue.
General Storage Information
Freeze-Dried or Lyophilized Tissue
Freeze-dried tissues do not require any form of temperature maintenance during transport and can be stored without the need for refrigeration or freezing for a period of up to five years. While the recommended storage temperature for this type of allograft is generally between 15ºC and 30ºC, the most important consideration is package integrity. Graft packaging should be checked at the time of receipt to ensure all seals are intact and that no damage to the packaging materials has occurred.
Refrigerated Tissue
Tissue that requires refrigeration should not be frozen, nor should it reach temperatures outside the range of 2ºC to 8ºC for storage. The shelf life of refrigerated tissue is specific to each graft type and should be reviewed by examining the individual package label for the graft expiration date. Graft packaging should be checked at the time of receipt to ensure all seals are intact and that no damage to the packaging materials has occurred.
Frozen or Cryopreserved Tissue
Frozen tissue is aseptically processed and then frozen to -80ºC for storage and distribution. Tissue should be maintained in the range of -80ºC to -40ºC as this qualifies for a shelf life of up to 5 years from the date of processing, but can be stored above -40ºC and below -20ºC for a period of six months from the time of temperature change. Graft may be returned to -80ºC prior to the end of a six month period. Graft packaging should be checked at the time of receipt to ensure all the seals are intact and that no damage to the packaging materials has occurred.
Shipping Container Validation
Each of the containers used for transporting California Transplant Services, Inc. allografts have been validated for temperature control and durability. The validations include calculation of sublimation rates, which are used to determine the expiration time of the transport container based on the amount of dry ice or wet ice placed in the container. These transport expiration times are posted on the shipping label on the outside of the container. Contact us if your facility needs a copy of our validation summary.