Corneal transplantation: study of the data of a regional eye bank for the year 2013 and analysis of the evolution of the adverse events reported in France since 2010

To analyze the data of the adverse events collected in a single major eye bank (EFS Bourgogne Franche Comte, Besancon, France) for the year 2013 and to report the French data of biovigilance provided by the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM) between 2010 and 2013. we have set up a study of adverse events in 2013, in collaboration with a single eye bank (EFS Bourgogne Franche Comte, Besancon, France). A survey was sent to the surgeon for each delivered corneal button by the eye bank in 2013. They were asked for each grafted patient performed in their center, the type of graft (penetrating keratoplasty, anterior keratoplasty or endothelial keratoplasty), the occurrence of adverse events (primary failure, infectious keratis, endophthalmitis, immune rejection, and other events) and the time interval between surgery and events (Less than 1 postoperative month, between 1 month and 1 year postoperatively, >1 year postoperatively). In 2013, 407 corneal buttons were delivered by the eye bank of Besancon in 21 medical centers which performed corneal grafts and we sent 407 surveys. We received 243 completed questionnaires (59.75%) from 11 centers (52.38%). The global reported rate of adverse events was 27.54% of the graft (n = 65/236 corneal grafts performed in 11 centers in 2013; 20% of Primary graft failure, 11% of infectious keratitis, 1% of endophthalmitis, 34% of rejection, 34% of other incidents). 30.16% of complications were noticed before the first month after surgery versus 52.38% of complications noticed between the first month and the first year after surgery and 17.46% of complications noticed after the post-operative first year The most common causes of adverse events after PK were Immune rejection (13.17%), surgical causes (5.98%) and infection (4.79%) and after EK were Primary graft failure (8.2%) and surgical causes (19.67%). In 2013, in France 0.83% of adverse events were notified in ANSM. For the 236 performed graft issued from a major eye bank (EFS Besanc, on) in 2013 the global reported rate of postgraft adverse events was 27.54% of the grafts (20% of Primary graft failure, 11% of infectious keratitis, 1% of endophthalmitis, 34% of rejection and 34% of other incidents). Compared to the ANSM data (0.83% of adverse events reported in 2013) this rate is high. This difference can be explained by the low rate of annual notification to the ANSM and shows that biovigilance in France must be more developed. Since biovigilance needs constant improvement for the safety of the graft system, training, information for practitioners, simplifications of procedures and international standardization of the definition are the main points that could be improved.