An international survey of unrelated umbilical cord blood banking

Objectives To investigate operational and technical practices within the fi eld of cord blood banking. Materials and Methods Cord blood banks world-wide were invited to participa te 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 sur vey responses demonstrated wide variations in many aspects of cord blood ba nking. Conclusion There is a need for standardization to ensure adoption of best p ractice.