PATIENT INFORMATION
Discuss the following with patients receiving CORDCYTE:
- Report immediately any signs and symptoms of acute
infusion reactions, such as fever, chills, fatigue, breathing problems,
dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, or muscle aches.
- Report immediately any signs or symptoms suggestive of
graft-vs.-host disease, including rash, diarrhea, or yellowing of the eyes.
Instructions For Preparation For Infusion
The CORDCYTE unit is stored continuously inside a steel
canister in liquid nitrogen at temperatures ≤ - 150° C. For shipment, the
canister is placed inside a container specifically designed to keep the temperature
at or below -150° C (dry shipper). It is recommended to keep the canister
inside the dry shipper for short-term storage (up to 48 hours) or transfer it
into a liquid nitrogen (LN2)-cooled storage device at the Transplant Center for
storage greater than 48 hours.
Materials
Equipment
- Refrigerated centrifuge
- Plasma extractor/expressor
- Biological safety cabinet
- Scale
- Tube sealer compatible with polyvinyl chloride plastic
- Water bath
- Canister-opening tool (supplied by LifeSouth Community
Blood Centers)
- LN2 storage freezer at -150° C or colder
- Sterile docker
- Automated cell counter and/or microscope and cell count
chamber for cell count and viability determination (optional)
Personal Protective Equipment
- Gloves (sterile preferred)
- Protective cryogloves
- Safety goggles or face shield
- Lab coat
Reagents
- 10% Dextran 40 in Sodium Chloride Injection, USP
- 5% Albumin (Human), USP
Supplies
- Sterile disposable syringes - (2) 30-mL, (8) 60-mL
- 18-gauge injection needles
- Hemostat
- Small plastic zip-lock bags (sterile preferred)
- Alcohol prep pads
- (3) sampling site couplers
- (4) 300-mL transfer bags
- Sterile pipettes
- Sterile sampling cups
- Bacterial culture bottles (aerobic and anaerobic) or
other supplies for conducting sterility testing
- Tubes for cell counts, progenitor assays (optional)
Forms
- Receipt of Cord Blood Unit form
- Umbilical Cord Blood Cryopreserved Transfer Report form
Product Identity Verification
1. Apply personal protective equipment.
2. Open the dry shipper lid upon receipt using scissors
to remove the tie-tag from the outside of the shipper.
3. Verify that the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)
number on the tie-tag matches the NMDP number on the Umbilical Cord Blood
Cryopreserved Unit Transfer Report. If the NMDP numbers do not
match, contact LifeSouth Community Blood Centers (LifeSouth) at 1-888-795- 2707.
4. Remove the canister from the dry shipper and the
canister-opening tool from the shipment documentation packet (see Figure 1).
Figure 1
5. Compare product bar code information on bar-coded
label on the side of the canister (see Figure 1) with the product
identification (ID) information included in the packaging. Verify this information
as soon as the shipment arrives and before administering the CORDCYTE unit. If
the bar-coded label is not found on the outside of the canister, the product
bar code information can be found on the frozen cord blood unit enclosed in the
canister.
6. Using protective cryogloves and the canister-opening
tool, open the canister at top and bottom using the following steps:
a. Avoid damaging the frozen cord blood bag.
b. Align the canister opening tool with the slot in the
bottom of the canister (see Figure 2).
c. Turn the canister opening tool clockwise to open the
bottom of the canister (see Figure 3).
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
d. Locate the opening at the top of the canister and use
the tool in a counterclockwise motion to open the top of the canister (see
Figure 4).
e. Open the canister hinges so the CORDCYTE unit can be
removed (see Figure 5).
Figure 5
7. Once the canister is open, compare the product bar
code information with your records.
8. Close canister after verification is complete. Using
protective cryogloves, return the canister to the dry shipper for short term
storage (up to 48 hours) or to LN2-cooled storage device for storage greater
than 48 hours.
9. Once records are all verified, indicate acceptance by
initial and date on the indicated space on the Receipt of Cord Blood Unit and
Umbilical Cord Blood Cryopreserved Transfer Report forms.
For Incorrect Information
- If any information is incorrect or cannot be verified,
close the canister and return the frozen unit to the dry shipper for short term
storage (up to 48 hours) or into a LN2-cooled storage device for storage greater
than 48 hours.
- Report the discrepancy immediately to LifeSouth at
1-888-795-2707 and to the transplant physician.
- Perform a thorough investigation, keeping the CORDCYTE
unit frozen at or below -150° C until all discrepancies are resolved.
- Once records are all verified, indicate acceptance by
initial and date on the indicated space on the Receipt of Cord Blood Unit and Umbilical
Cord Blood Cryopreserved Transfer Report forms.
Preparation
A. Prepare Thawing Solution
- Label a 300-mL transfer bag “Thaw/Wash
Solution” (see Figure 6 below).
- Clamp the “Thaw/Wash Solution” bag with a hemostat to
prevent leaking.
- Refrigerate the 10% Dextran 40 in Sodium Chloride
Injection, USP and the 5% Albumin (Human), USP at 2-6ºC.
- Complete the following steps inside a biological safety
cabinet:
i.Add 72.5 mL of refrigerated 10% Dextran 40 in Sodium
Chloride Injection, USP to the 300-mL transfer bag labeled Thaw/Wash Solution
using two 60-mL sterile syringes.
ii.Add 72.5 mL of refrigerated 5% Albumin (Human), USP to
the same 300-mL transfer bag labeled Thaw/Wash Solution using two 60-mL
syringes.
iii.Mix by inverting the bag at least 10 times.
iv.Label a 60-mL sterile syringe “Resuspension
Solution”; fill with 50 mL of the solution from transfer bag labeled
Thaw/Wash Solution (1:1 ratio of 10% Dextran 40 in Sodium Chloride Injection,
USP / 5% Albumin (Human), USP) for final end-product re-suspension. Refrigerate
until ready for use.
v.Label two 60-mL sterile syringes and two 30-mL sterile
syringes as “Thaw/Wash Solution.”
vi.For the two 60-mL syringes draw 20 mL of thaw/wash
solution into each syringe; refrigerate until ready for use.
1. For the two 30-mL syringes draw 5 mL of thaw/wash
solution into each syringe; refrigerate until ready for use.
2. Using a sterile docker, connect two 300-mL transfer
bags into a transfer set (see Figure 6 below).
vii. Label one transfer bag with the CORDCYTE unit
Donation Identification Number (DIN) and “Thaw/Wash Solution.”
1. Label the second transfer bag with the CORDCYTE unit
DIN and “Expressed Solution.”
2. Insert a sampling site coupler into the port closest
to the tubing on the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution labeled transfer bag (see
Figure 6).
viii. Attach a hemostat to the tubing approximately one
inch above the sampling site coupler on the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution transfer
bag (see Figure 6).
Figure 6: Transfer Set Diagram
B. Thaw CORDCYTE Unit
Schedule the infusion time of the transplant with the
transplant team in advance of the procedure. Re-confirm on the day of infusion
with the transplant team so that the start time for the thawing procedure can
be adjusted to have the unit ready for infusion at a time the patient can
receive the infusion.
If canister is stored in LN2, wear protective cryogloves,
lift canister containing the CORDCYTE unit from the liquid phase of the LN2
container, and rest canister in the vapor phase within the container for five
to ten minutes before proceeding.
Note: Carefully check the identity of the unit to
be thawed.
1. Open canister with the canister opening tool (refer to
section II Product Identity Verification). Avoid damage to the plastic
bag containing the frozen CORDCYTE unit. Carefully examine the plastic bag for
breaks or cracks.
2. Remove the CORDCYTE unit bag from the canister.
3. Place the CORDCYTE unit bag into a clean plastic
zip-lock bag. Let the air out, and close it tightly. Use a sterile plastic
zip-lock bag if available.
4. Place the plastic zip-lock bag containing the frozen
cord blood unit into a warm water bath at a temperature of 37° C +/- 1° C.
Gently and carefully agitate the bag in the water bath to accelerate thawing
and resuspension of the cells. Use your fingers to massage the bag to ensure
equitable distribution of heat (see Figure 7).
Figure 7
5. Watch closely for any cracks or breaks, as shown by
red cells leaking from the cord blood bag into the plastic zip-lock bag.
6. If any leakage is seen, keep the leakage site upright
to prevent further leaking while continuing to gently agitate the bag until the
product is slushy. (See section V Emergency Recovery Procedure In The Event Of A Container Failure for procedures for emergency recovery of the thawed
cord blood cells).
7. If no leakage is seen, remove the plastic zip-lock bag
from water bath. Dry the outside of the bag, disinfect it with alcohol, and
place it inside a biological safety cabinet.
C. Transfer the Thawed CORDCYTE Unit to Transfer Set
Complete the following steps inside a biological safety
cabinet:
- Obtain pre-labeled transfer set (see section IIIA, step
4vi).
- Obtain CORDCYTE unit; clean both sealed ports with
alcohol.
- Obtain scissors; disinfect port covers and cut off top of
port to create an opening for insertion of sampling site coupler.
- Disinfect cut port-cover surfaces with alcohol and attach
one sample site coupler to each port.
- Obtain one of the prepared 30-mL syringes containing 5 mL
of thaw/wash solution (see section IIIA, step 4v).
- Connect the 30-mL syringe into the 5-mL cord blood
compartment port; slowly dispense thaw/wash solution into this compartment.
- Slowly pull back and push in the syringe plunger to mix
the cord blood and thaw/wash solution; repeat three to four times. After the
last one, draw all the fluid from the compartment into the syringe.
- Disperse all the fluid in the syringe obtained in step 7
into the labeled DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution bag.
- Repeat steps 5 through 8 with the second prepared 30-mL
syringe containing 5 mL of thaw/wash solution to wash any remaining CORDCYTE
from the 5-mL compartment. The DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution Bag should contain 15
mL of CORDCYTE and solution.
- Obtain one of the prepared 60-mL syringes containing 20
mL of thaw/wash solution (see section IIIA, step 4v).
- Connect the 60-mL syringe into the larger 20-mL cord
blood compartment port; slowly dispense the thaw/wash solution into this
compartment.
- Slowly pull back and push in the syringe plunger to mix
the cord blood and thaw/wash solution; repeat three to four times. After the
last one, draw all the fluid from the compartment into the syringe.
- Disperse all the fluid in the syringe obtained in step 12
into the labeled DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution bag.
- Repeat steps 10 through 14 using the second prepared
60-mL syringe containing 20 mL of thaw/wash solution to wash the remaining
contents from the 20-mL compartment. The DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution bag should
contain 75 mL of CORDCYTE and solution.
- Allow five minutes for the mixture to equilibrate.
- Draw any remaining thaw/wash solution from the Thaw/Wash
Solution transfer bag into a 60- mL syringe and add solution into the DIN and
Thaw/Wash Solution transfer bag. The DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution bag should
contain approximately 120 mL of CORDCYTE and solution.
- Mix the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution transfer bag well by
inverting the transfer bag 180° 10 to 15 times.
- Discard the empty Thaw/Wash Solution bag.
Wash the Thawed CORDCYTE Unit
1. Place the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution transfer bag
containing the hemostat, sampling site coupler, and DIN and Expressed Solution
transfer bag into refrigerated centrifuge in upright position. Do not allow
bags to crease. Inserts may be used to achieve upright position and to prevent
damage as a result of centrifugation with a sampling site coupler. prevent
damage as a result of centrifugation with a sampling site coupler.
2. Balance the centrifuge before beginning centrifugation
cycle.
3. Centrifuge at 400 g for 20 minutes at 10°C.
4. After centrifugation, look for clear separation of red
blood cell (RBC) pellet.
5. Place transfer bag labeled DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution
into a plasma extractor (see Figure 8) and allow the supernatant to flow into
the transfer bag labeled DIN and Expressed Solution by removing the hemostat
from the tubing. Do not disturb the cells. If cells transfer, restore everything
back into the primary transfer bag, re-centrifuge, and repeat extraction
procedure.
Figure 8
6. Allow all supernatant to leave bag but do not allow
the RBC pellet to escape (see Figure 9). Hemostat the tubing after expressing
to close tubing on the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution transfer bag. Seal tubing
with heat sealer on DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution transfer bag where the tubing
begins. Make two seals; cut in between the two seals. Discard the line and DIN
and Express Solution transfer bag.
Figure 9
7. Obtain the prepared 60-mL “Resuspension Solution”
syringe containing 50 mL thaw/wash solution (see section IIIA, step 4iv).
Slowly add 50 mL of thaw/wash solution to the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution
transfer bag.
8. Obtain an unlabeled 300 mL transfer bag. Seal the
tubing of the transfer bag approximately one inch above the introduction of the
tubing into the bag. Remove the excess tubing. Weigh the bag to obtain a tare
weight of the transfer bag.
9. Weigh the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution bag. Calculate
volume based on weight of bag minus tare weight obtained in step 8.
10. Complete sampling for CFU, TNC, CD34+, viability, and
ABO/Rh and HLA, if necessary.
11. Label DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution transfer bag with
the expiration time and the time of completion of washing. The recommended
expiration time is 2 hours after the completion of wash until infusion, if
stored at room temperature (19-25ºC) or 4 ºC.
12. Notify the Transplant Center that the CORDCYTE unit
is thawed, washed, and available for infusion.
Administrative Requirements
- Prepare a written summary of the procedure, including:
- CORDCYTE ID number
- Date of receipt of CORDCYTE unit
- Liquid nitrogen storage temperature
- Date of thaw, including whether and at what stage leaks
or cracks occurred
- Date and time CORDCYTE unit removed from liquid nitrogen
storage
- Volume of final product
- TNC (Total nucleated cell) count, CD34+ count
- Viability of recovered cells (TNC or CD34+) plus name of
method used
- Results of bacterial and fungal cultures
- Make a copy of the report for your records.
- Fax a copy of the report to LifeSouth at 352-224-1650.
- Return the dry shipper to LifeSouth. The return
address is:
LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Inc., LifeCord Cord
Blood Bank, 4039 Newberry Road, Gainesville, FL 32607. Phone: 888-795-2707 x
41738. Fax: 352-224-1650
Emergency Recovery Procedure In The Event Of A Container
Failure
- Handle the frozen cord blood bag with extreme care at
every step including opening the metal containers, inspecting, thawing and/or
washing.
- Use standard procedures and competent personnel to
perform post-thaw sampling and/or bag rescue.
- Perform all steps on lab benches, under biological safety
cabinet, or another surface to prevent inadvertent drop of the frozen unit.
- To facilitate thawing, gradually remove the CORDCYTE unit
from the liquid phase of the LN2 storage area, suspending in the vapor phase
for at least five minutes prior to bringing the container to room temperature.
- Put the frozen bag inside a zip-lock bag prior to
initiating the thaw to facilitate salvage of the product and to reduce the
possibility of contamination.
- If the CORDCYTE unit is seen to be cracked when removed
from the LN2 storage container, or if cracks or leaks occur during thawing,
immediately notify LifeSouth at 1-888-795-2707. Notify the transplant
physician/team and the laboratory director as soon as possible.
- The transplant physician or team will determine whether
to use or discard the CORDCYTE product and whether any additional units should
be requested.
- If the transplant physician or team decides that the
product in the leaking unit could be used, the CORDCYTE unit may be recovered
as follows:
- Obtain sterile sampling cups and sterile pipettes.
- Open a sterile sampling cup and set cup in working space
to receive contents of zip-lock bag.
- If any contents remain in the broken CORDCYTE unit bag,
remove the contents from the bag using the syringes prepared in section IIIA.
- Wash all contents out of the CORDCYTE bag and place
contents in the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution labeled transfer bag.
- Using a sterile syringe, transfer 20 mL from the
Thaw/Wash Solution bag into a sterile sample cup.
- Using a sterile pipette, obtain 3 mL of thaw/wash
solution from the sample cup and inject into the zip-lock bag containing the
remaining CORDCYTE unit contents that leaked when thawing.
- Using a different sterile pipette, remove CORDCYTE and
thaw/wash solution from the ziplock bag and place in a sterile sample cup.
- Repeat steps f through g until all remaining CORDCYTE is
transferred to the sterile sample cup.
- Using a sterile 20-mL syringe, draw the contents from the
sterile sampling cup into the syringe. Inject the solution into the transfer bag
labeled DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution.
- Repeat until all of the contents from the sample cup is
transferred into the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution transfer bag.
- After all contents have been transferred from the sample
cup and are contained in the DIN and Thaw/Wash Solution transfer bag, mix well
by inverting 180° 10 to 15 times.
- Continue with Section D Was h the Thawed CORDCYTE Unit.