Scott Daniel , MD , FACOG / Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center medical contributor
The Advantages of Cord Blood Banking
“ Public cord blood banks were developed to accept donations to be used on unrelated individuals-similar to whole blood donations .”
July was National Cord Blood Awareness month . Cord blood is the blood that remains within the umbilical cord after a baby is delivered . In the past , it was simply discarded as medical waste . It was later discovered that the blood contained hematopoietic stem cells ( precursors to blood products ) that could be harvested , banked and later used for transplant if needed . The technique is relatively simple and involves a thorough cleaning of the cord followed by introducing a needle into the umbilical vein and draining the remaining blood from the cord using gravity . A minimum of 40cc of blood must be obtained to be useful . The blood is then tested for sterility and disease . In some cases , it is not feasible to collect the minimum amount of blood for banking .
Over 30,000 transplants have occurred since the first successful transplant in 1988 . Some of the diseases that may be treated with hematopoietic stem cells ( HPST ) include : certain types of leukemia , myelodysplastic syndromes ( pre-leukemia ) lymphoma , other types of disorders involving blood cell proliferation , inherited disorders of the immune system , certain solid tumors and various inherited metabolic disorders . Other disease states that are currently in clinical trials for the use of HPSTC include autism , cerebral palsy , multiple sclerosis and hypoplastic left heart syndrome .
There are both public and private banks that have developed to store banked cord blood . Public cord blood banks were developed to accept donations to be used on unrelated individuals-similar to whole blood donations . Although there is currently not a nationwide program available , a limited number of hospitals have programs that allow for cord blood donation . Currently in South Carolina , there are no hospitals that have a program to accept donated cord blood . However , patients may still be able to participate in a mail-in program if they are registered prior to 34 weeks gestation . Private cord blood banks send a kit that is then used by the patient ’ s physician to collect cord blood at the time of delivery . The blood is then shipped back to the bank where it is stored until needed . There is an upfront fee that ranges from $ 1000- $ 3000 as well as an annual fee of $ 100- $ 175 / yr associated with private cord blood storage .
In most instances , the use of one ’ s own cord blood is contraindicated as the condition being treated may exist in the transplanted blood . In addition , the likelihood of developing a condition that would benefit from transplant is rare . Currently , the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists do not recommend routine private storage of umbilical cord blood . For more information about umbilical cord blood banking , speak with your obstetric provider and check the following links : www . acog . org / More-Info / CordBloodBanking and www . parentsguidecordblood . org .
Dr . Scott Daniel has been in private practice in Hartsville , S . C . with Women ’ s Care of Hartsville since 1996 . He is the current president of the South Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society . He is board certified and a Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists .
146 AUGUST 2017 SHEMAGAZINE . COM