I’d like to have surgery to repair a torn ACL in my left knee. The doctor doesn’t think I’m a good candidate to donate my own graft tissue. I understand there can be some problems taking tissue from a donor bank. What are these?

One of the main problems is the transmission of disease. An infected allograft can transfer the infection to the surgical site. The result can be a failed graft or even death from septic shock.

Today’s handling of donor tissue has reduced many of these problems. The tissue is screened first for infections and then sterilized. The screening step can detect HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis.

Other possible problems with allograft material include delayed graft healing and an allergic response to the donor tissue. The plus side of donor bank tissue is the lack of donor site trauma.