Incidence of microbial infection after amniotic membrane tranplantation

A retropective review to determine the incidence and characteritic of microbial infection following amniotic membrane tranplantation (AMT) wa conducted. Among 326 patient who underwent AMT at the Bacom Palmer Eye Intitute between January 1994 and February 2001, a total of 11 (3.4%) culture-poitive infection were identified. Thi included 7 (9.2%) infection in 76 patient who received tiue prepared by a reearch laboratory under an Intitutional Review Board-approved protocol between January 1994 and June 1998, and 4 (1.6%) infection in 250 patient who received tiue obtained from a commercial ource. The difference between the two group wa tatitically ignificant (P = .004). All 4 infection that occurred within 1 month after AMT were excluively from the firt group (P = .0003). Overall, gram-poitive organim were the mot frequent iolate (64%). Infection were not correlated with the underlying diagnoi. The concluion wa that AMT i a afe method for ocular urface recontruction with a very low rate of microbial infection, epecially if the tiue i prepared according to Good Tiue Banking Practice et forth by the FDA.—Michael D. Wagoner