Characterization of cornea donors at a tissue center in the city of Medellin, Colombia

• Published in: Cell and tissue banking 2024-06, Vol.25 (2), p.619-623
• Main Authors: Cadavid Usuga, Juan Camilo, Maya Naranjo, María Isabel, Mesa Mesa, Sara, Rivera, Ana Isabel, Hincapié, María Paula, Granados, María Fernanda, Betancur, Catalina, Donado Gomez, Jorge Hernando
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Airway management; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cadavers; Cell Biology; Cities; Colombia; Cornea; Corneal Transplantation; COVID-19; Data analysis; Donors; Edema; Endothelial cells; Epidemiology; Eye Banks - statistics & numerical data; Female; Foreign bodies; Full Length Paper; Humans; Infections; Life Sciences; Male; Middle Aged; Ophthalmology; Tissue Donors; Transplant Surgery; Trauma; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1389-9333; 1573-6814; 1573-6814
• DOI: 10.1007/s10561-023-10124-x

The cornea transplant is considered the most frequently performed type of transplant in the world, with a demand that has been increasing in recent years. An observational descriptive study was conducted, focusing on the ocular tissue extracted from cadaveric donors from January 2019 to December 2021 at the Red Cross Eye Bank in Medellin, Colombia. This is the first epidemiological characterization of corneal donor tissues within the eye banks of our city, where high rates of violence-related deaths explain that tissue donors are mostly young individuals. This, in turn, results in excellent counts of endothelial cells and tissue viability in their microscopic studies. Additionally, there are lower rates of discarded tissues compared to similar studies.