New corneal storage technique slashes transplant waiting time

Stored in an incubator at 34 degrees Celsius, organ culture corneas can be stored at a tperature close to the physiological tperature of the human body, and have resulted in a 47-per-cent increase in corneal transplants – effectively eliminating the waiting list for corneal transplantation.Professor Gerard Sutton, corneal and refractive surgery specialist at Sydney/Sydney Eye Hospital and acting medical director of the Lions NSW Eye Bank, said the advantages of using organ culture are significant and manifold.”In 2005, the waiting time for a corneal transplant in NSW was two years. With the introduction of this technology we can now schedule patients for corneal transplantation within three months,” Professor Sutton said.”Through the higher tperature used in organ culture, metabolism of the cells are maintained and provide the corneal tissue with a complex mixture of amino acids and growth factor which enables it to repair damaged cells and maintain its normal function.”In cold storage, low tperatures and the presence of antibiotics can make it difficult to detect any bacteria that may be present in the tissue, as most bacteria will not grow under those conditions. However, the 34 degree Celsius storage and additional microbiological testing of the Organ Culture Storage increases the safety of the donated corneas through improved sensitivity to detect bacterial and fungal contaminants.”