Bone bank at University Department of Orthopedics, Zagreb University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia

AIM: Bone bank has to supply patients of our Department as well as patients from other hospitals with necessary bone grafts, but only in a case of appropriate medical indication that is evaluated by the Board of Orthopedic Surgeons. METHODS: The paper describes in detail the modalities of donor selection, explantation technique, transportation and preservation of frozen bone grafts. Also, the harvesting models and expenses of the bone bank are described. RESULTS: During the 1998-2006 period, explantation team retrieved bone grafts from 32 cadaver donors, in 10 of them bilaterally. Retrieving bone grafts from cadavers took 90 minutes and transportation 30 minutes on an average. Contamination rate of cadaveric bone grafts was 21%; all retrieved allografts were destroyed in two patients only. Bone grafts were used for reconstruction of bone defects after tumor resection, for revision hip or knee arthroplasty, spondylodesis, or corrective osteotomy. CONCLUSION: Bone bank is a service that retrieves, stores and distributes bone grafts. Appropriate documentation, control and harvesting for optimal indications provide a safe and relatively inexpensive system supplying surgeons and their patients with necessary bone stock in orthopedic surgery procedures.