FAQs on Umbilical Cord Blood and Storage
It is natural to assume that people have numerous queries for a relatively new discovery in medical science. This new found concept has become quite acceptable to the masses as the earlier shortage of blood from donors can be a thing of the past if utmost care and state of technology are available at cord blood storage facilities.
Queries from General Public
The foremost question that is likely to be asked would be whether the cord blood differs from earlier blood transfusion technique. The answer to this would be a ‘Yes’. Why is this so? The main reason is that the earlier techniques of blood transfers were bone marrow infusions while the latest technique is umbilical cord blood transfer.
Why is this done? This is done because it is easy and there are plentiful donors and almost all women deliver children and then do away with the placenta and the umbilical cord. However, the new technique involves saving umbilical cord so that the blood can be stored for future use.
How is it done? This is mainly done through umbilical cord blood banking organizations that have an excellent technological process and the latest equipment. How is the transfer done? The actual technique of taking cord blood is painless and in an almost traditional way. However, the collected blood has to undergo cryopreservation and then stored in a blood bank for future transportation. This blood then is depleted of its red blood cells for a higher rate of stem cell recovery.
Blood Matching
Is it necessary to match the cord blood with those of the patient? Yes, you need to match the blood type as is the case with bone marrow transfers, yet in the case of umbilical cord blood, there is no need for that perfect match. Why is this so? This is because cord blood is ‘immature’ and is free of diseases and is adaptable.
