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SALT LAKE CITY — Michael Ludwig was asked by the doctor if he wanted to save the umbilical cord from his child born just five minutes earlier. He looked at the mass of tissue that been delivered along with his new daughter and said, “Thank you, no.”
“I didn’t know what it was or what he meant, and it didn’t seem to be important,” said Ludwig of Pleasant Grove, recalling the birth of his daughter in March of last year.
Saving an infants' umbilical cord/cord blood for future retrieval of stem cells may soon be on the minds of a lot of parents-to-be.
Cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth, materials that are usually discarded. This blood is called placental blood, umbilical cord blood or simply cord blood, and is an abundant source of stem cells that are genetically related to the baby and the baby’s birth family.
What makes this blood unique is that it contains all the basic elements of blood — such as red blood cells, white blood cells, blood platelets, as well as plasma.
Studies have found that umbilical cord blood transplants may be able to treat more than 70 different diseases including lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, osteoporosis and Krabbe disease.
Additionally, it contains blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells similar to ones found in bone marrow. These cells have the potential to develop into any other type of cell in the body.
Stem cells are harvested from cord blood because of their ability to transform into other types of cells and to create new development that is the building block of the immune system. The transformation of these cells provides physicians with a way to treat leukemia and many other inherited health disorders and diseases in ways similar to bone marrow use but with significantly less rejection.
Studies have found that umbilical cord blood transplants may be able to treat more than 70 different diseases including lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, osteoporosis and Krabbe disease.
Others include Parkinson's disease, type 1 diabetes, arthritis, burns, cardiovascular diseases, heart disease, stroke, bone disease and injury, and autoimmune diseases like Multiple Sclerosis or Crohn’s disease.
The cord blood collection process is safe and painless (not counting labor), taking no longer than a few minutes. Cord blood collection does not interfere with delivery and is possible following either vaginal or cesarean deliveries.
- Enrollment and collection fee: $775 to $2,150
- Annual storage fee: $85 to $150
- Collection fee: $0
Source: BabyCenter.com.
There are two methods for collecting the cord blood. The "syringe method" draws blood directly from the umbilical cord shortly after it has been cut. In the "bag method," the umbilical cord is elevated and uses gravity to drain the blood into a container.
Umbilical cord blood must be gathered within the first 15 minutes following birth, and ideally should be processed in a laboratory within 48 hours.
Cord blood is processed and cryopreserved in a way that keeps cells alive and stored in a frozen state. The cord blood should be processed and stored in a facility that is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) for the purpose of handling stem cells.
Such blood banks often offer either prepaid plans at a discount or payment plans to store cord blood cells.
There may be two fees involved in cell banking. First is an initial fee, which will cover collection and storage for at least the first year. Second is an annual storage fee.
Cost varies from facility to facility. Doctors and other health care providers can give parents a better idea of what is available locally through a blood bank directory.
If new parents do not want to store the cord blood, it can still be valuable for another family. There are several foundations, as well as nonprofit blood banks and medical facilities that will collect, process and make available the stem cells from a baby’s cord blood to treat others.
As is the case with other blood donations, this is done at no cost to the donor.
Davidson Cheney writes, often humorously, at davisoncheneymegadad.blogspot.com.
