FEMORAL HEAD DONATION TRIAL

PERTH BONE & TISSUE BANK

Historically in WA, consent for donation of femoral heads has been obtained by either the Surgeon, an Intern in the Hospital or in some instances a Registered Nurse in the Hospital who has been designated by the PBTB as eligible to obtain consent.

Consent for femoral head donation must be obtained pre-operatively in WA. The donor rates have remained static and despite rigorous screening, the failure rate post donation remains at around 20%.

In an attempt to address the suitability of donors preoperatively, to stimulate donation, to improve the quality of documentation and information obtained, to address privacy issues related to the form being available at a number of points during the process, and to prevent unsuitable donations which will ultimately be failed, PBTB conducted a trial whereby referrals of potential donors were sent to PBTB either by the Surgeon’s rooms, or by the Pre-anaesthetic clinic at the Hospitals.

The patient was given a kit containing the consent form and information about the donation process. Once completed, the patient was asked to post the consent form to PBTB. The patient was then contacted by phone to discuss the consent form, and consent was recorded following that interview.

The results of the trial are promising, with patients being comfortable with the approach being made by PBTB, with significant cost savings of time and consumables related to avoidance of unsuitable donations, and with no appreciable addition to the work load of PBTB.

Anne Cowie