Cord Blood Banking Basic 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which factor most directly affects the time to engraftment after a cord blood transplant?
- The recipient's age and gender
- The total nucleated cell dose infused per kilogram of recipient body weight (Correct answer)
- The geographic distance between the bank and the transplant center
- The brand of cryoprotectant used during freezing
Correct answer: The total nucleated cell dose infused per kilogram of recipient body weight
A higher TNC dose per kg of recipient body weight is associated with faster engraftment and better overall outcomes after cord blood transplantation.
Question 2: What cryoprotectant is most commonly used to preserve cord blood stem cells during freezing?
- Glycerol
- Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (Correct answer)
- Propylene glycol
- Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)
Correct answer: Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)
DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) is the standard cryoprotectant used in cord blood banking to prevent ice crystal formation that would destroy cells during freezing.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes a 'directed donation' in cord blood banking?
- A donation made anonymously to a public bank for any patient
- A donation stored in a public bank but reserved for a specific family member with a known medical need (Correct answer)
- A donation made exclusively for research with no clinical use
- A donation from a twin pregnancy split equally between two siblings
Correct answer: A donation stored in a public bank but reserved for a specific family member with a known medical need
A directed donation is banked publicly but designated for a specific patient — typically a sibling or family member already diagnosed with a condition treatable by cord blood transplant.
Question 4: What is the role of DMSO in a cord blood infusion and why must it be monitored?
- It prevents immune rejection and requires monitoring for allergic reactions
- It remains in the thawed unit and can cause nausea, bradycardia, and other side effects requiring clinical monitoring (Correct answer)
- It must be removed before infusion because it is toxic at any concentration
- It serves as a nutrient carrier and monitoring is only needed in pediatric patients
Correct answer: It remains in the thawed unit and can cause nausea, bradycardia, and other side effects requiring clinical monitoring
DMSO is infused along with the cord blood cells and can cause transient side effects including nausea, vomiting, bradycardia, and hypotension that require active monitoring.
Question 5: When comparing private and public cord blood banking costs in the US, which statement is most accurate?
- Public banking costs families an initial fee of $500–$1,000
- Private banking typically costs $1,500–$2,500 upfront plus annual storage fees; public banking is free to donating families (Correct answer)
- Both private and public banking charge comparable fees covered by most insurance plans
- Public banks charge hospitals, not families, making the cost identical to private banking
Correct answer: Private banking typically costs $1,500–$2,500 upfront plus annual storage fees; public banking is free to donating families
Private cord blood banking involves significant out-of-pocket costs, while donating to a public bank is free to the family — costs are covered by the bank or government programs.
Question 6: Which of the following best defines 'graft failure' in a cord blood transplant?
- The donor unit is contaminated and cannot be used
- The transplanted cord blood cells fail to engraft and produce new blood cells in the recipient (Correct answer)
- The recipient's body produces an allergic reaction to DMSO
- The cord blood unit does not match a recipient in the registry
Correct answer: The transplanted cord blood cells fail to engraft and produce new blood cells in the recipient
Graft failure occurs when the transplanted cord blood cells do not successfully engraft in the recipient's bone marrow, leaving the patient without functional blood cell production.
Question 7: Which maternal health condition would most likely disqualify a cord blood donation from being accepted by a public bank?
- Gestational hypertension (preeclampsia)
- Active HIV infection in the mother (Correct answer)
- A prior C-section delivery
- Iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy
Correct answer: Active HIV infection in the mother
Active HIV infection in the mother is a standard exclusion criterion for public cord blood donation due to the risk of transmitting the virus to transplant recipients.
Cord Blood Banking Basic 5
Which factor most directly affects the time to engraftment after a cord blood transplant?