Certified Tissue Bank Specialist (CTBS) Practice Test

In the context of tissue banking and the recovery of heart valves, it is crucial to ensure that all infectious disease testing is conducted on the appropriate sample to minimize risks to recipients. The correct procedure for a 20-day-old donor involves obtaining the blood sample from the donor's mother.

Collecting the blood sample from the donor's mother is essential because, at such a young age, the infant may not have developed adequate blood volume or a fully functioning immune system that might provide reliable results for certain infectious diseases. Moreover, maternal blood samples can reveal information about potential infectious agents that the infant may have been exposed to in utero, which is critical for assessing any risks of transmission to recipients of the heart valve.

While there may be specific protocols for collecting samples directly from the donor if they are older or if the situation allows, in this particular case concerning a very young donor, maternal samples are prioritized, especially if there is no ante-mortem blood sample collected from the donor. This approach helps ensure comprehensive safety in the transplantation process.