The activity of the Cardiovascular Tissue Bank consists in the procurement of human valves and vessels from multiorgan or cadaveric donors and in their proceeding, cryopreservation, validation for distribution and clinical employment.

Tissues are usually employed in bacterial endocarditis, pediatric cardiac surgery, aortic ring abscess, reoperation of valvular substitution (insufficiency and valve degeneration), aortic ectasia, small aortic anulus, sinus Valsalve aneurysm, native vessels infections, prosthetic infections, artero-venous fistula for haemodialisis etc…

The Cardiovascular Tissue Bank at Centro Cardiologico Monzino, together with the Treviso bank, is the oldest cardiovascular tissue bank in Italy. Founded in 1992 with the name of Banca Italiana Omoinnesti (BIO), in 2005 it became the only cardiovascular bank recognized and authorized by the Regione Lombardia Health System.

The bank activity, strictly connected with the CIR/CRR activity (Centro Interregionale di Riferimento/Centro Regionale di Riferimento), follows both the European (Direttiva 2004/23/CE) and the Italian guidelines (July 2013).

The surgical and technician bank team is available 24h-365d. Since 2005 the Cardiovascular Tissue Bank has been certified both ISO 9001-2008 and CNT (Centro Nazionale Trapianti) for activity of “reception, proceeding, preservation and distribution of cardiovascular tissues of human origin”. It has also been registered in the European Registry of cardiovascular banks. Since 2016 it has been among the founding members and in the Scientific Committee of the Italian Tissue Bank Association (AIBAT).

In 2016 the bank received cardiovascular tissues from 51 multiorgan donors (Heart Beating , HB) and 17 from non heart beating (NHB) and processed 53 aortic valves, 52 pulmonary valves, 13 thoracic aortas, 8 abdominal aortic with iliac arteries, 69 iliac femoral arteries, 8 saphenous veins, 6 femoral veins and 8 cava vein.

After preparation and anatomical, serological, microbiological evaluation, 61% of all tissues was validated and ready for distribution.

During 2016, 113 tissues were distributed all over Italy and Europe.