What is the optimum cord blood storage container, bags or vials?
There is no clear answer: Existing scientific studies do not show a significant difference between blood storage in bags versus syringes. A given bank will use only bags or vials, not both, because their freezer is equipped with racks for holding either one or the other. Also, the loading of the racks should be balanced for mechanical and temperature stability. On the one hand, those banks that use bags like to point out that they are a “closed system”, in which the blood does not have to be transfered from one container to another. This lessens the chances of contamination if the transfer is not done with proper sterile technique. Of course, blood labs are not supposed to be hiring employees who don’t know how to transfer blood properly. On the other hand, those banks that use vials like to point out that frozen bags are prone to shattering if they are not handled very carefully. Of course, they should be handled very carefully. A bank which uses vials has the option of separating the
