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Development of an Innovative Device to Enable on-site Cryopreservation of Lipoaspirates to be Used in Repeat Procedures.
José Antonio Arellano, MD1, Yusuf Surucu, MD1, Asim Ejaz, PhD1, J. Peter Rubin, MD MBA1*
UPMC
2023-01-31
Presenter: José Antonio Arellano
Affidavit:
Peter J. Rubin
Director Name: Peter J. Rubin
Author Category: Fellow Plastic Surgery
Presentation Category: Basic Science Research
Abstract Category: General Reconstruction
Introduction: Repeat harvest is a painful and expensive procedure exerting traumatic and financial burden on patient. In addition, it also led to a reduced productivity of the surgeons. Development of strategies that eliminate the requirement of repeat harvest is the need of time. In this direction, we have designed a cryopreservation device and optimized the protocol that enables on-site storage of the excess harvested fat for repeat graft procedures thus eliminate the need for repeat harvest.
Methods: We designed a device that can connect seamlessly to current devices used in fat harvest and grafting. For in-vivo validation, we used Nu/Nu athymic mice injected with human fat cryopreserved for 7 days, 21 days, 3 months, and 11 months. Each group was compared to fresh fat graft. We analyzed graft for weight, volume retention, histology, vacuole formation, and inflammation markers after 9 weeks. Using our method, we determined the optimal time range for cryopreserving the fat post-harvest.
Results: In vitro viability analyses showed a combination of 10% DMSO, 2% human serum albumin and storage temperature of -80˚C demonstrated optimal viability of cryopreserved fat comparable to fresh fat. In vivo Nude mice studies showed no significant changes in the graft weight and volume retention in between the comparison groups up to 11 months.
Conclusions: This study shows our device and protocol can reduce multiple harvest sessions along with the complications of this procedure. Fat can be preserved without any morphological, weight, or volume changes for up to 1 year.
