{"id":21781,"date":"2026-05-21T10:34:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/?p=21781"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:57:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T13:57:55","slug":"situation-update-corneal-supply-in-quebec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/situation-update-corneal-supply-in-quebec\/","title":{"rendered":"The Current Situation : Corneal Supply in Qu\u00e9bec"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In recent years, the supply of corneas has faced increasing pressures, reaching a breaking point and resulting in a rise in surgery cancellations in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this context, <strong>H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec initiated an open dialogue with the clinical community<\/strong> to share a common understanding of the situation and identify realistic avenues for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three consultation sessions were held on<strong> February 18, 2026, and April 1, 2026<\/strong>, following an invitation extended to all cornea specialists in Qu\u00e9bec. These discussions supported a constructive reflection on the evolution of the current model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Overview of Supply<\/strong><br>H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec has operated the Qu\u00e9bec Human Tissue Bank since 2001 and has been responsible, since 2008, for the procurement and allocation of ocular tissues, in collaboration with the province\u2019s two eye banks. The model implemented aimed to reduce waitlists and ensure that tissue availability would no longer be a limiting factor for surgeries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Target preparation time for corneas distributed by H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec: 7 to 10 days<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"314\" src=\"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_TH-020C_GraphiquesTO-EN-1024x314.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_TH-020C_GraphiquesTO-EN-1024x314.png 1024w, https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_TH-020C_GraphiquesTO-EN-300x92.png 300w, https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_TH-020C_GraphiquesTO-EN-768x235.png 768w, https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_TH-020C_GraphiquesTO-EN-600x184.png 600w, https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026_TH-020C_GraphiquesTO-EN.png 1442w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, <strong>annual demand for corneas has increased from approximately 600 to over 1,000 transplants<\/strong>, with sustained growth since 2022. Although local production has increased in recent years, <strong>a decline in self-sufficiency<\/strong> has been observed since 2024, leading to greater reliance on imports and increased vulnerability during periods of high demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Issues Identified<\/strong><br>Discussions with the clinical community highlighted several shared observations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>short shelf life of corneas<\/strong> (approximately a four-day usage window) limits any ability to build a safety inventory. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Significant and sometimes<strong> unpredictable variability in weekly<\/strong> demand complicates supply planning. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Donor qualification<\/strong> is becoming increasingly complex due to the high rate of ocular surgery in Qu\u00e9bec, while rejection rates remain elevated. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Availability of corneas by type (DSAEK \/ DMEK) varies and depends on donor characteristics. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Organizational constraints within hospital centers <\/strong>(operating room availability, vacations, conferences, staffing shortages) directly affect surgical planning capacity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, these factors expose the system to <strong>intermittent shortages<\/strong>, potentially resulting in postponed or cancelled surgeries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Clinical and Operational Challenges Raised by the Network<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Surgeons emphasized:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The significant impact of<strong> last-minute cancellations <\/strong>on patients; <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The difficulties associated with<strong> short-term operating room scheduling<\/strong>; <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The need for better <strong>visibility on high-risk periods<\/strong>; <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The importance of maintaining <strong>equitable distribution<\/strong> of tissues across centers while preserving clinical prioritization of patients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Explored Areas for Collaboration<\/strong><br>In a continuous improvement perspective, several avenues were discussed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Improving advance <strong>sharing of information<\/strong> (surgical schedules, periods of reduced activity); <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthening <strong>two-way communication <\/strong>between H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec and clinical teams; <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exploring ways to <strong>reduce demand variability<\/strong> in order to smooth weekly peaks;<br>Continuing initiatives to <strong>optimize donor identification <\/strong>and overall supply performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><br><strong>The consultation sessions confirmed that current challenges in corneal supply are multifactorial and require shared responsibility between H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec and the healthcare network. H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec reiterates its commitment to working closely with clinical and administrative teams to gradually adapt practices, reduce impacts on patients, and ensure optimal use of available tissues.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Upcoming Event<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>Visit us at the H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec booth at the upcoming Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS 2026) Annual Meeting<br><strong>June 19\u201320, 2026 | Palais des congr\u00e8s de Montr\u00e9al<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Interested in learning more about corneal allogenic intrastromal ring segments (CAIRS), soon to be distributed by H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec? Don\u2019t miss the hands-on workshop taking place on<strong> Saturday, June 20, from 1:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.grenadine.co\/sites\/cos-sco\/en\/2026-cos-meeting-and-exhibition-montreal\/schedule\/25604\/STC%3A%20Corneal%20Allogenic%20Intrastromal%20Ring%20Segments?platform=\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Registration is required<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Contact Us<\/strong><br>Our teams remain available to answer your questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Customer Service Team: tissus@hema-quebec.qc.ca<br>Management Team: tissushumains@hema-quebec.qc.ca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In recent years, the supply of corneas has faced increasing pressures, reaching a breaking point and resulting in a rise in surgery cancellations in 2025. In this context, H\u00e9ma\u2011Qu\u00e9bec initiated an open dialogue with the clinical community to share a common understanding of the situation and identify realistic avenues for improvement. Three consultation sessions were&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"3140,20161,19540,21021,20270,20184","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5776],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-communication"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21781"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21803,"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21781\/revisions\/21803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalogue-tissushumains.hemaquebec.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}