Home»FAQs»What questions should parents ask a Family Bank about laboratory standards?
What questions should parents ask a Family Bank about laboratory standards?
Is the cord blood laboratory accredited by an agency that has specific standards for cord blood banks and conducts inspections? (ex: AABB, FACT)
If you live in one of the US states that license cord blood banks (CA, IL, MD, NJ, NY) then you can only use a family bank that has your state license.
Does the lab process cord blood around the clock, or only on selected shifts?
What tests does the lab perform on maternal blood?
What tests does the lab perform for infectious disease markers?
What tests does the lab perform for contamination?
Does the lab ever reject cord blood collections on the basis of the tests of maternal blood, infectious diseases, or contamination?
Does the lab maintain a "quarantine tank" for the storage of blood while they are waiting for tests of infectious disease markers?
What tests does the lab perform to measure the stem cell count of the processed cord blood and the stem cell viability?
Does the bank inform parents, prior to storage, if the collection is too small for a transplant, and give them the option not to save it?
Does the bank offer parents a refund if the cord blood collection has certain problems (contamination, low volume)? These refunds are typically only offered if the bank performed the collection as part of their service.
What information will parents receive in the final report about their stored cord blood?
