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INFORMATION REGARDING ALLOGRAFTS & PLATELET RICH PLASMA THERAPY

The patient facing ligament reconstruction for their injury may choose to have surgery using bone and/or soft tissue transplant called an allograft.  An allograft is bone or soft tissue that is transplanted from one person to another.  Transplanted bone, tendons, cartilage and skin are used extensively in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, as well as plastic, general and dental surgeries.  In this country, an estimated 900,000 allografts are transplanted each year.

Dr. Lowe uses the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation™ (MTF) as his exclusive provider for allograft tissue for ligament reconstructions, meniscal transplants, and osteochondral transplants as well as Cascade® Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy during surgery.


WHO IS MTF™?

The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation™ is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 and is the largest provider of bone and soft tissue grafts in the United States and one of the largest providers of trafts in the world.  Founded by surgeons and medical teaching institutions, MTF™ is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of surgeons and patients for allografts that meet the highest standards of quality and safety.
  • MTF™'s philosophy is that non-profit control of recovery and distribution are at the heart of ensuring ethical stewardship of the donated gift.
  • MTF™ does not work with any for-profit tissue recovery agencies.
  • MTF™ is guided in all aspects of their mission by a Board of Directors and Medical Board of Trustees, not shareholders.
  • MTF™'s donor safety criteria has never been surpassed by any other tissue bank.
  • MTF™ rejects more donors every year than any other tissue bank as the tissues of these donors unfortunately fail to meet their strict acceptance policy.  MTF™ never accepts donors deferred by other tissue banks or direct referrals from funeral homes.
  • MTF™ leads the industry in donor selection criteria with standards that exceed those set by the American Association (AATB) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
  • MTF™ employs the latest technologies such as Nucleic Acit Testing and conducts serological tests on all donors.
  • MTF™ employs an Audit Team whose sole purpose is to audit, on a routine basis, the tissue recovery organizations that MTF™ partners with to ensure compliance with their strict standards and protocols.


WHERE DO MTF™ ALLOGRAFTS COME FROM?

Donors are people who have died in accidents or from sudden illness such as heart attack or stroke.  Often the gift of bone and soft tissues from a single donor can help multiple recipients.
 
All potential donors must pass through a comprehensive screening and testing process.  MTF™ only uses Registered Nurses to screen potential donors, all of whome must pass trhough quality assurance process.  As a part of the screen, comprehensive medical and social histories are required for every donor.  All donated tissue is rigorously tested using the most technologically advanced methods to ensure safety and sterility before release for distribution.  All tissues that do not pass these rigorous tests are rejected.
 
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MTF™ Achilles Tendon Allograft MTF™ Quadriceps Tendon Allograft MTF™ Semitendinosus Allograft


THE SAFETY OF MTF™ ALLOGRAFTS

Since the inception of MTF™ in 1987, with overt 3 million grafts distributted, MTF™ maintains an exemplary, unrivaled safety record.  MTF™ has never had a confirmed case of viral transmission for infection from any allograft.
 
MTF™ uses the most complete and technically advanced testing available, including NAT and DNA testing, to assure the safety of every allograft we supply.  The only confirmed transmissions of viruses through transplanted tissue occurred at other tissue banks in the mid-1980’s, before current testing procedures were available, with unprocessed tissues.  The most recent statistical studies available today estimate the risk of transmitting a virus through transplantation to be less than 1 in 1.67 million.  These studies do not include the newest testing modalities that are used in the industry today.  Compared to many everyday activities, the risk is virtually nonexistent.  MTF™ continues to develop procedures—including comprehensive screening of donors and extensive testing of all donated bone and soft tissue—to reduce the odds even further.
 
MTF also utilizes Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT by TMA) on every donor. NAT is the most complete and technically advanced testing available. Since our inception in 1987, with over 3 million grafts distributed, MTF maintains an unrivaled safety record.


MTF™ MISSION STATEMENT

MTF™ is a non-profit service organization dedicated to providing quality tissue through a commitment to excellence in education, research, recovery and care for recipients, donors and their families.

 
 

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CASCADE® AUTOLOGOUS PLATELET SYSTEM & PLATELET RICH PLASMA THERAPY

 
Interest in fibrin clot techniques and the expanded application of growth factors in soft tissue and bone repair have led to the development of the CASCADE® Autologous Platelet System.  Cascade employs platelets and their associated growth factors for clinical applications that require rapid healing and tissue regeneration.  The Cascade® system represents An Evolution In Platelet Therapy, producing PRFM (Platelet-Rich Fibrin Matrix) that can be delivered arthroscopically and sutured into a repair site to stimulate a healing response.  The PRFM implant represents a potentially more precise technique to deliver a more concentrated and volume stable fibrin matrix rich in platelets. Growth factors within the PRFM remain functionally viable throughout the Cascade process and are continually released over seven days.

The Cascade® system is also available in separate forms for producing a Cascade® Platelet-Rich Fibrin Membrane with improved biomechanical properties and the Cascade® Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy for the treatment of various tendonitis and tendinosis indications.  Only MTF has a completed offering of platelet-rich plasma therapies.
 
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MTF™ Cascade Fibrin Clots MTF™ PRP Vial MTF™ Cascade Drucker Unit

 
 

For more information, please visit:
www.mtf.org
www.mtfsports.org
www.mtfsports.org/cascade