The impact of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) program on radiation and tissue banking in Cuba

The first multi-tissue bank was founded at Havana in 1958. At that time, freeze-drying was used at the bank as a method of preserving, as well as Cobalt 60 irradiation to sterilise bone tissue, heart valves and others. The impact of the IAEA program in tissue banking activities in Cuba can be summarised as follows: (a) Increase in the production of sterilised tissues using ionising radiation (bone, pig skin and amnion) for medical treatment in the tissue bank of the Hospital Frank Pais; (b) increase of the quality of the productions of bone tissues, pig skin and amnion; (c) reduction in the import of tissues by increasing the local production of tissues; (d) sustainability in the number of donors through the implementation of a public and professional awareness campaign; (e) training of six persons in the Regional Training Centre of Buenos Aires; (f) qualification of one person in the administration of a tissue bank and in the implementation of a Quality System. The amount of tissues produced and sterilised using the ionising radiation techniques in the established banks was 25,510 units. The amount of patients treated with sterilised tissues produced by the established banks was 2,448.