Should you wish that your baby is credited with the title
of a Good Samaritan as soon as he is born? If so, one way
is to donate blood from your baby's umbilical cord. The
umbilical cord is usually considered waste after a baby is
born (once separated from the mother). The umbilical cord
stump peels off the body of the newborn baby within 12-15
days of the baby being born.
But, the umbilical cord can be put to good use by taking
blood from the umbilical card before discarding it. This
blood can be extremely helpful to leukemia patients and
patients of other life-critical diseases. Umbilical cord
blood is different from embryo blood in the sense that this
blood is taken from the umbilical cord and the placenta
after the birth of the baby.
Why is cord blood critical to various medical functions?
* Cord blood is extremely useful for individuals/patients
who need a transplant done quickly. Cord blood is easily
accessible as they are stored in units and ready-for-use.
* Many surgeries require patients to find a matched bone
marrow donor. Bone marrow blood, especially one matching
the donor and the acceptor's RH level are extremely
difficult to find. Cord blood can be used as an effective
replacement in these cases.
* Many individuals/communities have a very rare group of
blood RH. Patients from such communities find it
increasingly difficult to find blood matching their blood
indicators. Cord blood can be used to donate blood to
these patients as they do not require to be matched with
the acceptor's blood indicator.
Umbilical cord blood - Use in transplant surgeries
Cord blood considered suited for transplantation purposes
are typed on tissues, frozen and stored. A liquid Nitrogen
refrigerator is used in sub-zero temperatures to store the
cord blood for transplantation.
What factors are considered for patients needing transplant
surgeries?
* Type of transplant required - Use of cord blood in
transplant surgeries is extremely dependant on the type of
transplantation required to be done. Cord blood cells are
extremely useful in treating certain life-threatening
diseases, not all of them.
* Adequate blood forming cells - Cord blood units having
inadequate blood forming cells are not considered for
transplant surgeries. A cord blood unit having umbilical
cord blood is considered effective for transplantation
purposes only if it has adequate blood forming cells.
Close to 6000 patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma
and other life-threatening diseases are constantly in need
of cord blood to meet their blood acceptance needs. Cord
blood donated by a newborn baby is used for bone marrow
surgeries or cord transplants.
A simple act of donating umbilical cord blood can prove to
be a life-saver for many patients. Irrespective of the
race of the baby, the mother can decide to donate the
umbilical cord blood as early as the 34th week into
pregnancy.
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Looking for more valuable information about umbilical cord
blood donations? Visit us at
http://www.babycordbloodresearch.com to learn more about
umbilical cord blood banking.
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