Decontamination of whole donor eye globes with a commercial antibiotic cocktail medical device

BACKGROUND : In donor cornea transplantation a decontamination step is required in order to reduce the cornea contamination. At the Eye Bank of Liege, Belgium, the decontamination is performed with 5% iodopovidone solution quick wash before dissection.
AIMS: To evaluate the use of decontamination solution BASE.128 (AL.CHI.MI.A. S.r.l.) for decontamination of the whole donor eye globe, before cornea recovery, at the Ophthalmic Tissue Bank of Liege University Hospital.
METHODS : Human donor eye globes, unsuitable for transplantation, were recovered and transported in physiological solution. All corneas were evaluated according to SOP of the Eye Bank (Endothelial cell density (ECD), slit lamp evaluation (SL), central corneal thickness (CCT)). A microbiological test was performed on physiological transportation medium using Bact/Alert for 7 days, and a corneal swab was taken. Eye globes were immersed in BASE.128, an antibiotic cocktail containing vancomycin, gentamicin, cefotaxime, and amphotericin B deoxycholate. After decontamination phase, a microbiological and corneal swab test were repeated. Cornea was dissected and transferred in cold storage medium (EUSOL-C, AL.CHI.MI.A. S.r.l.). ECD and CCT were evaluated again. Cornea was stored for 14 days at 4°C. After 14 days of storage, ECD and CCT were determined. At day 14, a microbiological corneal swab test were repeated.
RESULTS: Whole globes were initially contaminated. After decontamination, all the microbiological tests resulted negative. Corneal evaluation parameters including ECD and CCT remained unvaried according to expected values.
CONCLUSIONS : Decontamination of whole donor eye globe with BASE.128 allowed total elimination of cornea contamination without altering corneal quality.