Packaging and labeling

Question 1

The host OPO must package all

Answer 1

organs, tissue typing material, and vessels in a sterile environment using universal precautions.

Question 2

External Packaging: Only

___________, ____________ or ________________ must be used as external transport containers.

Answer 2

disposable shipping boxes, coolers, or mechanical preservation machines must be used as external transport containers.

Question 3

Disposable Shipping Box
If organs, tissue typing materials, or vessels are shipped commercially, they must be transported in a new disposable shipping box.

Can not be:
Must have

Answer 3

Can’y be reused

Have leak proof liner to encase cooling

Insulated with 1.5 container or equivalent with adequate cooling material

A water tight plastic liner between outer and inner containers

Outer- corrugated plastic or corrugated cardboard, with at least 200 pounds burst strength

Question 4

Mechanical Preservation Machine
When transporting an organ using a mechanical preservation machine, the cassette containing the organ must be labeled with the

Answer 4

organ type, UNOS ID, blood type, and blood subtype if used for allocation.

Question 5

Mechanical preservation machines may be reused only if

Answer 5

all labels from previous donor organs are removed.

Question 6

If a member of the organ recovery team is accompanying the organ to the potential recipient’s transplant hospital, they can transport the organs, tissue typing material, and vessels in

Answer 6

A cooler

It may be reused only if it is properly cleaned and sanitized and all labels from previous donor organs are removed.

Question 7

The OPTN external label must contain all of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Answer 7

1. The donor ID
2. The sender’s name and telephone number
3. The donor’s blood type
4. The donor’s subtype, if used for allocation
5. A description of the specific contents of the box
6. The Organ Center’s telephone number

Question 8

Organ Documentation
Each external transport container holding an organ must be sent with the complete deceased or living donor record that includes all of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Answer 8

1. Blood type source documentation
2. Blood subtype source documentation, if used for allocation
3. Infectious disease testing results
4. Medical and behavioral history information
5. Donor evaluation information
6. Donor authorization form
7. Organ quality information

Question 9

Donor documentation must be placed in a watertight container in either of the following:
*
*

Answer 9

 A location specifically designed for documentation

 Between the inner and external transport containers

Question 10

If vessels are not shipped in the same external container as the organ, then the vessel container must include

Answer 10

the same complete donor documentation as the organ.

Question 11

Each OPO or recovery hospital must establish and then implement a protocol for verifying the accuracy of organ and vessel packaging labels by an

Answer 11

individual other than the individual initially performing the labeling and documentation.

Question 12

To recover and use vessels in an organ transplant, the deceased donor authorization forms must

Answer 12

include language indicating that the vessels will be used for transplant.

Question 13

Transplant hospitals may share vessels. If sharing occurs between transplant hospitals, the receiving transplant hospital must

Answer 13

submit a detailed explanation to the OPTN Contractor that justifies why the sharing occurred.

Question 14

Transportation Arrangements:

The host OPO is responsible for determining that non-local procurement teams have transportation

Answer 14

to and from the local airport.

Question 15

Transportation Costs for Deceased Donor Kidneys:

If deceased donor kidneys, and associated tissue typing materials are shipped without any other organs, then

Answer 15

the host OPO is responsible for all transportation costs.

Question 16

Transportation Costs for Living Donor Kidneys:

The organ recipient’s transplant hospital is

Answer 16

responsible for transportation costs for living donor kidneys and associated tissue typing material according to CMS regulations.

Question 17

Transportation Costs for all other Organs
For all non-renal organs and tissue typing materials from deceased or living donors, including kidney-pancreas, transportation costs are the responsibility

Answer 17

of the member receiving the organ.

Question 18

Transportation Costs for all other Organs

If an organ or tissue typing material is forwarded to another member for any reason the member that finally receives the organ or tissue typing material is

Answer 18

responsible for transportation costs; unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties involved.

Question 19

Transportation Costs for Tissue Typing Material
The organ recipient’s transplant hospital is responsible for payment of transportation costs for tissue typing material sent to

Answer 19

crossmatch potential recipients of a living donor kidney

Question 20

Transportation Costs for Tissue Typing Material
When an organ recipient’s transplant hospital requests tissue typing material to crossmatch potential recipients for a non-renal organ, it must

Answer 20

pay transportation costs for the tissue typing material.