Several tests are performed on each unit of blood, including blood type and testing for infectious diseases, such as HIV, hepatitis and West Nile virus infection. The tests are extremely sensitive, but they cannot detect very recent infection (within a few days before the donation), so we count on our blood donors to answer the health history questions accurately.

After blood is drawn, it is tested for ABO group (blood type) and RH type (positive or negative), as well as for any unexpected Red Blood Cell antibodies that may cause problems for the recipient. Screening tests performed are listed below:

Once the donated cord blood is processed and stored at the Cord Blood Bank, it is listed on the NMDP Registry and available to patients all over the world who are searching for a match. The cord blood can be transplanted into any patient whose doctor selects the cord as a match for that patient.

On any given day, more than 6,000 patients, their families and friends around the world are searching the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry for a matching bone marrow donor or cord blood unit. These patients have leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases that can be treated by a bone marrow or cord blood transplant.

According to the National Blood Data Resource Center (NBDRC), 13.9 million units of whole blood are donated in the United States each year. Approximately eight million volunteer blood donors provide blood for about 4.5 million patients annually.

Note: The following information will be based on whole blood donations. It may not be accurate for apheresis donors.

Typically, each donated unit of blood - referred to as whole blood - is separated into multiple components, such as red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipatitated AHF (antihemophilic factor). Each component can be transfused to different individuals with different needs. Therefore, each donation can be used to help save as many as three lives.

Columbia University Medical Center relies on voluntary blood donors and extensive testing to maintain safe blood supplies. Please speak with your surgeon well in advance of surgery regarding blood banking and the possibility of donating blood for yourself or having family and friends donate blood before surgery.

The maternal blood is tested for syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and HIV. HLA typing is not normally done at the time of processing and would be done to a sample to confirm compatibility between a recipient and a donor, if other than the baby. This testing would be done as part of a physician ordered transplant work-up and should be reimbursed by insurance. Top

We do encourage patients to bring previous tests they have undergone for the Physicians to review; however, depending on the symptoms presented the Physicians may or may not be able to use existing lab work.

The FDA requires the following tests be performed on the mother's blood and the cord blood. We conduct all these test and and additional three tests; one for bacterial contaminants to make sure that the product from the cord blood is sterile, and the other two to determine the number and viability of stem cells in the cord blood. ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) - used in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic disease, heart disease and hepatotoxicity of some drugs.

In almost all cases they will be covered to the fullest extent of your benefits just as if your in-network doctor had ordered them. You must go to a lab that is in your insurance company?s network. We will give you a lab requisition form that is good at any lab. We can also recommend a lab that is in your network.

The cord blood bank keeps the mother's name confidential, and it protects the privacy of the family. Names are not shared with any patient or transplant center. The baby's cord blood is identified by a number, never by name.

All blood donations are processed and available for use in 48 hours. Whole blood is processed into components (red cells, plasma and platelets). After processing, the red cells can be stored for 42 days. Plasma can be frozen and stored for up to 12 months and platelets (from whole blood or by apheresis) expire after 5 days.

The blood supply level fluctuates throughout the year. For example, after the Sept. 11 attacks, the blood supply swelled to very high levels, due to the overwhelming response of donors. During holidays and in the summer, levels tend to fall because donations decline, but demand remains stable or even increases.

Several tests are done to ensure the safety of the blood. These include blood type, HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, West Nile Virus, and a liver function test.

Heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, small bowel, bone and associated tendons, blood vessels, heart valves, skin and corneas. Organs are allocated through the United Network for Organ Sharing. Tissues recovered by NEOB are first processed for safety and preservation purposes before they are transplanted. Tissue recovered by NEOB are processed by: LifeNet, Tissue Banks International, LifeCell, and CryoLife.

You need to know "hematocrit" and "hemoglobin". "Average" hematocrit is about 45% and hemoglobin about 15% or 14.8%, about there... Bicycle riders are tested and allowed to run long distance races if their hematocrit is at most 50%, so I consider 50% hematocrit is a very safe hematocrit. My own hematocrit has been between 52% and 55% since I began to use EPO in 2002. You should also test for iron. Iron carries oxygen so it is good, but it also oxidizes, so too much iron is bad.

Rh - Rh Typing: People who have the Rh antigen on their red cells are typed as Rh positive. People who lack the Rh antigen are typed as Rh negative. CHOL - Cholesterol: Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found naturally in the body. Cholesterol levels can be affected by genetic or due to the foods you eat. Too much cholesterol increases your risk of having a heart attacks or a stroke. A level less than 200 is desirable. Diet and exercise affect your levels.

To ensure that naltrexone treatment is safe, blood tests should be obtained prior to initial treatment. Following that, retesting generally occurs at monthly intervals for the first three months, with less frequent testing after that point. More frequent testing may be requested depending on the health of your liver prior to beginning treatment.

Two types of tests are commonly used to detect HIV infection. The most commonly used initial test is an enzyme immune assay (EIA) or the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). If EIA test results show a reaction, the test is repeated on the same blood sample. If the sample is repeatedly reactive, the results are "confirmed" using a second test such as the Western blot.

Urine testing for HIV antibodies is not as sensitive or specific as blood testing. Available urine tests include an EIA and a Western blot test that can confirm EIA results. A physician must order these tests, and the results are reported to the ordering physician or his or her assistant. Orasure© is currently the only federally approved oral-fluid test. It collects fluids from inside the mouth, and analyzes them using an EIA test and supplemental Western blot test if necessary.

Yes, and we frequently order test such as viral titers, hormone levels, vitamin levels and markers that conventional doctors may not utilize. For such testing we use Quest as well as Bioreference laboratories, and you can have your blood drawn by us as well as by your own doctors or at the laboratory's drawing stations.

Family members or friends who have the same blood type as you can provide a directed blood donation for you, however, most studies show that directed donations are no safer than blood donated by healthy community volunteers. In fact, blood donations from close relatives are more likely to cause a serious immune reaction. In these situations, doctors must treat the blood with radiation before it can be used safely.