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Legal and ethical demands for more transparent and strict data protection measures to enhance research participant privacy have grown with an increasing number of human biobanks providing biomaterial collections long term for unspecified future research questions. The design of a data protection scheme that minimizes the risk of donor reidentification and promotes biomaterial and data use in research is a big challenge to all kinds of human biobanks. Yet, there is a lack of publications which address this basic building block of a biobank. In this study, we present the data protection concept of our project driven, stand-alone biobank, focusing on meeting two biomaterial and data management areas simultaneously: operation of primary research projects involved in sample collection and long-term provision of biomaterial for future research purposes. The concept is based on national and international laws and ethical demands. Since the presented measures are transparent and basic, they should encourage biobanks in defining their own data protection concept and be easily transferable to different legal requirements.

Regional citrate for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) use in patients with liver failure or post-liver transplant has been considered a contraindication because of the risk of citrate toxicity development. Regional citrate has the benefit of decreased bleeding risks over systemic anticoagulation; therefore, it is of great benefit to the coagulopathic and surgical populations. This article analyzes current empiric data and compares with a case study specifically related to liver failure, liver transplant, and CRRT use. We found that the use of a total serum to ionized calcium ratio was much more reliable in measuring liver function than liver enzyme figures. This when paired with a citrate-reduction guideline based on serum to ionized calcium ratios provided effective, early management of citrate toxicity. Using new measurements to calculate liver metabolism of citrate and using a new citrate-reducing guideline allow the bedside practitioner to use regional citrate anticoagulation in patients with liver failure and liver transplant who require CRRT.