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Cord Blood Donation Questions and Answers

By Lisa Nobles

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 24Feb2008
Word count: 478
Viewed: 246 time(s)

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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.

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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