Position statement on the import of fresh frozen bodies and body parts

HTA position on the import of fresh frozen bodies and body parts.

Issued 10 June 2009 

The import of relevant material is not a licensable activity under The Human Tissue Act 2004 (The Act); however, the storage of relevant material for the scheduled purpose of education and training relating to human health must take place on premises licensed by The HTA.

The HTA's code of practice on import and export of human bodies, body parts and tissue (code 8) provides guidance for establishments that wish to import relevant material. This position statement is derived from a policy that supplements the code, as it covers The HTA's requirements for establishments importing fresh frozen cadaveric material.

The import of fresh frozen bodies and body parts, for the scheduled purpose of education and training relating to human health, is emerging as a potentially common practice for some HTA-licensed establishments. Currently, the reason that cadaveric material is imported from countries, such as the USA, is that there is no source within the UK that supplies cadaveric material which is frozen while fresh, as opposed to being embalmed. Fresh frozen material is primarily used for surgical training. The benefit of using this material is that it provides healthcare professionals with opportunities to rehearse lifelike surgical techniques before they are carried out on living people.

All bodies, body parts or tissue should be treated with respect and dignity: establishments who are importing this material should be able to satisfy themselves that they are continuing to meet HTA standards. Importing establishments must ensure that donors who have tested positive for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and meningitis have been excluded from donation by the supplier in the source country. All imported cadaveric material should conform to the international standards for the transport of hazardous clinical material. Importing establishments should also adhere to two guidance documents from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). These are:

• infection at work: controlling the risks from human remains
• safe working and the prevention of infection in the mortuary and post-mortem room

The HTA policy on the import of fresh frozen bodies and body parts, which is mentioned above and gives further details of the responsibilities of establishments that import or export frozen cadaveric material, can be found by clicking here.