Screening and Testing
Northwest Tissue Services technologists perform multiple bacterial cultures on each tissue recovered and processed. Bacterial culturing is done on each tissue at the time of recovery, processing and at final packaging.
Aseptic tissue must be culture negative at the time of final packaging. Any tissue samples contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, such as E. coli, are not released for transplant. Skin grafts are recovered and processed aseptically, and the cultures must confirm the absence of pathogenic microorganisms.
The tissue technologist documents each of the recovery and processing steps, and the quality assurance personnel monitor and maintain these records at Tissue Services. Northwest Tissue Services works closely with the University of Washington Department of Microbiology in evaluating results.