[Development of a nationwide system for harvesting and using homograft heart valves: Establishment of the Hungarian Homograft Bank].

Fourty homografts have been implanted for correction of congenital heart disease in children. Since 1992 cryopreserved homografts are used. Mid-term follow-up data are encouraging: owing to the improved procurement and preservation techniques and the cryopreservation a remarkably enhanced graft-survival is achieved. Preprocessing ischemic time reduction and cryopreservation are the foremost determinants for the freedom of reoperation. Despite the very strict donor selection criteria the capacity of our program (ie. the number of the homografts harvested and processed) seems to be increasing progressively. In order to meet the country-wide need for homografts the Hungarian Homograft Bank is to be established in cooperation with the other cardiac and transplant teams in Hungary. Its objectives, working standards, responsibilities and facilities are outlined.