An international survey of unrelated umbilical cord blood banking.
Stanworth S., Warwick R., Fehily D., Persaud C., Armitage S., Navarrete C., Contreras M.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate operational and technical practices within the field of cord blood banking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cord blood banks world-wide were invited to participate in a survey of collection, processing and testing. The survey covered a 12-month period up to August 1998. RESULTS: Replies were received from 18 cord blood banks. Analysis of the survey responses demonstrated wide variations in many aspects of cord blood banking. CONCLUSION: There is a need for standardization to ensure adoption of best practice.