title: A novel, bedside technique to rapidly identify umbilical cord blood units with high total nucleated cell numbers.
abstract: With increasing demand for umbilical cord blood units (CBUs) with total nucleated cell (TNC) counts of more than 150 × 10(7) , preshipping assessment is mandatory. Umbilical cord blood processing requires aseptic techniques and laboratories with specific air quality and cleanliness. Our aim was to establish a fast and efficient method for determining TNC counts at the obstetric ward without exposing the CBU to the environment.
  
  
  
  Data from a total of 151 cord blood donations at a single procurement site were included in this prospective study. We measured TNC counts in cord blood aliquots taken from the umbilical cord (TNCCord ), from placenta (TNCPlac ), and from a tubing segment of the sterile collection system (TNCTS ). TNC counts were compared to reference TNC counts in the CBU which were ascertained at the cord blood bank (TNCCBU ).
  
  
  
  TNCTS counts (173 ± 33 × 10(7) cells; calculated for 1 unit) correlated fully with the TNCCBU reference counts (166 ± 33 × 10(7) cells, Pearson's r = 0.97, p < 0.0001). In contrast, TNCCord and TNCPlac counts were more disparate from the reference (r = 0.92 and r = 0.87, respectively).
  
  
  
  A novel method of measuring TNC counts in tubing segments from the sterile cord blood collection system allows rapid and correct identification of CBUs with high cell numbers at the obstetric ward without exposing cells to the environment. This approach may contribute to cost efficacy as only CBUs with satisfactory TNC counts need to be shipped to the cord blood bank.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern.
authors.forename: Anna Margareta
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Krenger
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern.
authors.forename: Shamsiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stettler
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beutler
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herbst
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern.
authors.forename: Daniel V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Surbek
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern.
authors.forename: Gabriela M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Baerlocher
mesh_terms: D000094902:Blood Banking / Q000379:methods; D001782:Blood Donors; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000098:blood supply*