Tissue Processing & Preservation Flashcards
7 cards from real CTBS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Tissue Processing & Preservation flashcards as text
Which solution is most widely used for short-term hypothermic preservation of vascular allografts awaiting processing?
Answer: University of Wisconsin (UW) solution
UW solution contains impermeants, antioxidants, and buffers that minimize cell swelling and metabolic injury during cold ischemia.
What is 'chondrocyte viability' most commonly assessed by in cartilage allografts?
Answer: Live/dead fluorescent dye exclusion assay
Live/dead fluorescent assays using calcein-AM (live) and ethidium homodimer (dead) dyes provide quantitative assessment of chondrocyte viability.
Solvent/detergent (S/D) treatment of allograft tissue primarily inactivates which class of pathogens?
Answer: Enveloped viruses
S/D treatment disrupts lipid envelopes of viruses (such as HIV and HBV) but does not effectively inactivate non-enveloped viruses like parvovirus B19.
Which AATB standard specifies the minimum acceptable residual moisture content for lyophilized tissues?
Answer: Less than 6%
AATB standards require residual moisture of less than 6% in lyophilized tissues to prevent microbial growth and degradation during ambient storage.
A tissue bank uses peracetic acid (PAA) as a terminal sterilant. Which tissue type would be LEAST suitable for PAA treatment?
Answer: Viable corneal endothelium
PAA is an oxidizing agent that denatures proteins and destroys cell viability, making it incompatible with tissues intended to contain living cells.
What is the maximum cold ischemia time generally accepted for fresh osteochondral allograft processing?
Answer: 72 hours
Most tissue banks target recovery-to-processing within 24–72 hours for fresh osteochondral grafts to maintain adequate chondrocyte viability.
Which antibiotic combination is commonly used in tissue decontamination cocktails for musculoskeletal allografts?
Answer: Penicillin, streptomycin, and amphotericin B
Broad-spectrum antibiotic/antifungal cocktails including penicillin, streptomycin, and amphotericin B address gram-positive, gram-negative, and fungal contamination.