Incidence of microbial infection after amniotic membrane transplantation

A retrospective review to determine the incidence and characteristics of microbial infection following amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) was conducted. Among 326 patients who underwent AMT at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute between January 1994 and February 2001, a total of 11 (3.4%) culture-positive infections were identified. This included 7 (9.2%) infections in 76 patients who received tissue prepared by a research laboratory under an Institutional Review Board-approved protocol between January 1994 and June 1998, and 4 (1.6%) infections in 250 patients who received tissue obtained from a commercial source. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P = .004). All 4 infections that occurred within 1 month after AMT were exclusively from the first group ( P = .0003). Overall, gram-positive organisms were the most frequent isolate (64%). Infections were not correlated with the underlying diagnosis. The conclusion was that AMT is a safe method for ocular surface reconstruction with a very low rate of microbial infections, especially if the tissue is prepared according to Good Tissue Banking Practice set forth by the FDA.—Michael D. Wagoner