Informed consent is not routinely documented for procedures using allografts.

Abstract

Patients who receive musculoskeletal allografts may have severe postoperative infections develop. Media reports have heightened public awareness of the risk of allograft use. Explaining these risks to patients preoperatively has become more important as attention to informed consent issues has increased. This study retrospectively investigated the patterns of informed consent for allograft bone used during elective orthopaedic procedures at a major teaching hospital. Forty-seven (32%) of 148 patients had preoperative discussions of allograft risks and benefits documented with a signed preoperative consent. In nearly 70% of the cases in which structural allograft was used, preoperative consent was documented. Only 8% of cases in which nonstructural, highly processed allograft was used had documented preoperative consent. Forty-eight (32%) of 148 patients were treated with allograft and autograft. Consent was obtained for the harvesting and use of autograft from 90% of these patients. In none of these patients was consent obtained for the allograft used. Although risks of disease transmission vary widely with the degree of allograft processing and the source of its procurement, informed consent for any allograft use should be a routine part of preoperative discussions of risks and benefits in elective orthopaedic surgeries.