RTI Biologics Launches AllograftInfo.com Educational Website
Informational Portal Educates Patients, Public About Allograft Tissue
Business WirePress Release: RTI Biologics Inc. – Tue, Jan 10, 2012 3:30 PM EST
ALACHUA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- RTI Biologics Inc. (RTI) (Nasdaq: RTIX - News), a leading provider of orthopedic and other biologic implants, has launched an informational website to educate patients and the general public about allograft tissue. AllograftInfo.com explores the use of allograft, or human donated tissue, in surgery, as well as provides links to relevant research and articles. The website also addresses several frequently asked questions and provides suggestions on what to ask your surgeon when considering allograft.
“AllograftInfo.com is a website we created based on surgeon feedback to provide patients a convenient and easy-to-understand portal for self-education on allograft tissue," said Brian K. Hutchison, president and chief executive officer. “RTI believes in the life-changing benefits of allograft implants, and we hope this website helps the public and potential patients better understand allograft tissue as an available option in a variety of surgeries.”
An allograft is tissue surgically transplanted from one person to another. Most allograft tissue is recovered surgically after death; the donor must have consented to the donation before death or the donor’s family must consent after death. Allografts have been used successfully for more than 150 years, and approximately one million allografts are transplanted each year in the United States in procedures that include ACL repair, joint reconstruction in the knee and ankle, meniscal replacement, reconstruction due to cancer or trauma, ridge augmentation in dental procedures, shoulder repair, spinal fusion and urological procedures.
Allografts are used as an alternative to synthetic and metal implants. However, unlike synthetic or metal implants, allografts are natural and biocompatible scaffolds, allowing the recipient’s body to remodel it into his or her own tissue over time. Using allograft tissue rather than an autograft – or tissue from one’s own body – eliminates a second surgical site, allowing the recipient to avoid additional pain, risk and a possible longer hospital stay.
RTI honors the gift of tissue donation by treating the tissue with respect, by finding new ways to use the tissue to help patients and by helping as many patients as possible from each donation.
About RTI Biologics
RTI Biologics Inc. is a leading provider of sterile biologic implants for surgeries around the world with a commitment to advancing science, safety and innovation. RTI prepares human donated tissue and bovine tissue for transplantation through extensive testing and screening and using proprietary processes. These allograft and xenograft implants are used in orthopedic, dental and other specialty surgeries.
RTI’s innovations continuously raise the bar of science and safety for biologics – from being the first company to offer precision-tooled bone implants and assembled technology to maximize each gift of donation, to inventing validated sterilization processes that include viral inactivation steps. Two such processes – the BioCleanse® Tissue Sterilization Process and the Tutoplast® Tissue Sterilization Process – have a combined record of millions of implants distributed with zero incidence of allograft-associated infection. These processes have been validated by tissue type to inactivate or remove viruses, bacteria, fungi and spores from the tissue while maintaining biocompatibility and functionality.
RTI’s worldwide corporate headquarters are located in Alachua, Fla., with international locations in Germany and France. The company is accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks in the United States and is a member of AdvaMed.
surf's up......crikey
